Clarity
by IceNinja202
Summary: /Hurt/Comfort. Originally titled Confusion. Randy was having a strange week when he discovers a girl named Rachel Crawford. Supposedly she has amnesia but they discover her memory was erased. But why? All the two want is clarity, but little do they know the more answers they get the more questions will arise. Rated T for blood, language, and some themes. I don't own RC9GN On hiatus
1. Enter Rachel Crawford

Chapter 1:

(Rachel's POV)

I woke up, lying on the ground. I groaned, coughing. I felt like I had just swallowed a pill. It was as painful as the last time-

Why couldn't I remember that? I should have been able to remember that, just like I knew I lived in-

Come to think of it, where did I live? I couldn't remember.

I sat up. _Okay, think,_ I thought to myself. _What _do_ you remember?_ I sifted through my mind, but I could only remember common knowledge, like the color of the sky is called blue, we live on a planet called Earth, and all sorts of things concerning modern society. I couldn't remember who my parents were; I didn't know what my house looked like. Did I even live in a house? I couldn't even remember my own name.

I felt something in the pocket of a jacket I didn't remember putting on (shocker). I put my hand in it to find a crumpled up piece of paper. _Your name is Rachel Crawford,_ it read. That name didn't sound familiar to me, but if I didn't trust that piece of paper, I had nothing.

It didn't look like my handwriting- what _did_ my handwriting look like? I couldn't remember. What a shock.

I tried to recall something, anything- that specified to my past in any way at all. At first, I didn't get anything, but then I got an image of a boy who looked about 14 or 15 years old. He had black- no, dark purple hair, and dark blue eyes. He was tall, and thin, and in my opinion, extremely attractive. All I could remember was his face. Nothing else.

(Randy's POV)

"Oh, you think you're gonna win, huh? That's cute. Guess I'll use my ninja sword!" I sliced through the monster using my ninja sword with no trouble at all. Both halves fell to the ground with a thud.

"Wow. That was a _really_ hard monster to beat. That definitely wasn't your ordinary McFist 'bot," I thought out loud, even though no one had witnessed the fight. Because of that, I didn't even bother with a smokebomb this time, instead, I just ducked behind a tree and pulled off the ninja mask. I started to walk home, since the monster came just as Howard and I were walking out of school. Howard had had a family thing and couldn't stay to watch.

I looked around as I walked. For some reason, I had a feeling that something weird was about to happen. _Focus, Cunningham. Nothing is off today._ But at the same time, something had been weird ever since March 22nd- three days ago. The NinjaNomicon had been glowing nonstop, and every time I went into it, it had delivered the same cryptic message-"Deals with the ancient enemy cannot be erased, only replaced." And of course, I had replied with, "That would be great advice, if only I knew _who the juice that so-called ancient enemy is_! So it sent me out as if the answer was staring me in the face but I was too blind to see it, which is normally the case, but the Nomicon had to be wrong this time. I couldn't make a deal with a nonexistent enemy, since the only ancient enemy was the sorcerer, and you couldn't make a deal with someone imprisoned in a hole. Besides, I had a strange feeling that it wasn't referring to the sorcerer.

I saw a pretty girl with long, blonde hair sitting on the sidewalk, staring up at the sky with a faraway look in her light blue eyes. She seemed lost, so I went over to her.

"Are you ok? You look lost," I said as I knelt down in front of her.

"Yeah… I think so. Where am I?"

"You're in Norrisville."

(Rachel's POV)

Norrisville, he said. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I looked at him a second time, and I realized it was him. The boy I remembered the face of. He was right in front of me.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What happened? How did you get here?"

"All I know is that my name is Rachel Crawford. I think. What's yours?"

"Randy Cunningham. Are you sure you don't remember _anything?_ Not even a small piece of memory?" His name sounded right, familiar almost. But it wasn't enough to bring back anything. It was like something was blocking my memory, and I couldn't get rid of it.

"Not a thing, other than things everyone knows. Like the sky is blue, the trees are green, etc." I tried to stand up, but my knees were weak, and I sank right back down.

He stood up, offering me his hand. I took it, and he put my arm around him to help me stand up. "Do you know what happened to you? Did someone hurt you?"

"I'm clueless." I yawned. "But I do know I'm tired."

"Come on, I'll take you to my house. It'll probably come back to you after you sleep."

(Randy's POV)

"Hi, Randy," my mom said as I came into my house, still carrying Rachel, who seemed to be on the verge of sleep. "Who's she?" My mom grinned all of a sudden. "Randy, do you have something to tell me? Have you gotten your first girlfriend?"

My face turned red. "What? No, Mom. This is Rachel. I found her by the street. She seemed lost, so I came up to her. I think she has amnesia; all she remembers is her name. Not her parents, how she got there, or why she was so tired. Nothing, Mom. You know, except her name. I've never seen anything like this."

"Hmmm, that is strange. Usually those afflicted with amnesia remember some things, usually from their early childhood."

"And on TV, their name is one of the things they _do_ forget."

"But, honey, this is real life. You've been playing too much of that Grave Digger game with Howard."

"Grave Puncher_,_ Mom. _Puncher_."

"It doesn't matter now, we have a seriously afflicted amnesiac on our hands."

"Maybe we should keep her here. At least, until we find out where she lives and who her parents are." Rachel moaned, and her eyelids were drooping. She was almost unconscious. "I'm going to take her to my room so she can sleep," I announced, heading for the stairs.

"Alright, but try anything on her, and you will face a punishment worse than you could even imagine, mister."

"What do you mean, try anything…? Oh." My face turned red again when I realized what she meant. "Don't worry; I wasn't absent the day they taught us that in health class." I glanced at Rachel, hoping she hadn't heard my mom's comment. Thankfully, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. All of a sudden, she gasped and her eyes went wide. I opened the door to my room, and climbed the ladder up to my bed and set her down.

She blinked, scared, although I had no idea why. "Randy?"

"Yeah, Rachel?"

"Am I going to be ok?"

"Yeah. My mom is letting you stay here until we find your parents."

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"Why? Are you remembering something?"

"No, not really. I just have this feeling, and it's a bad one." She looked into my eyes with her pale blue ones, wide-eyed, like a scared cat.

"Do you think they're dead?"

She got the faraway look in her eyes again. "I… don't think so," she answered finally. "I think that I might be the one who left."

"Rachel, are you a runaway?"

"I honestly can't remember. I'm just getting all this from feelings. Feelings that I can't explain. All I can safely say," she paused, peering directly into my eyes. "Is that… I'm a long, long way from the place I used to live. Yet, home…" she paused, lowering her voice as if she thought I wasn't close enough to hear. "Home is close by," she murmured, closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep.

"Good night, Rachel," I murmured under my breath. I took the blanket out from under her and put it on her. She was _really_ pretty. Like, the kind of pretty that would make even a popular guy fall to his knees and beg her to go with him to the school dance. Did I even have a chance with her?

Argh, what was I saying? I had just met this girl like ten minutes ago, and all of a sudden I was falling for her? _Smooth, Cunningham._ I climbed down from the bed, hoping it would be several hours before Rachel woke up. I had to sort out my feelings for her, or rather, just-as-a-friend feelings for her first.

(Rachel's POV)

Everything felt hazy.

Me, the bed, the laptop in front of me, the words across the screen, it all just felt _hazy_.

I wanted to stop, press the "back" button at the top left of the screen, so badly that I wanted to scream, but I had to know. I just had to know what I was up against.

I wanted to stop looking at the words staring me in the face, but I couldn't. I was so torn. Between my own feelings and the ones the computer screen was making me feel.

For the longest time, I had wanted to believe that I was the only one. The only one capable of something like this, even on accident. _Especially_ on accident.

But now I knew there were others.

For a second, I remember. I remember being so upset that I was willing to make a deal with the devil.

Only they were worse than the devil, and they came. For me. I felt myself being crunched inside; I felt literal pain, not just emotional. I tried not to scream.

I woke up, feeling like I might cry. I could no longer remember the dream, it was locked away, just out of reach, but I remember feeling things no person, dead or alive, good or evil, should ever have to feel. I clutched the blanket on top of me. Randy must have put it there. I smiled, but then I remembered what I had felt in the dream, and I winced.

(Randy's POV)

I woke up to a soft sound. For a second, I wondered why my head was so honkin' close to the ground- didn't I have a high bed? But then I remembered. I remembered Rachel, and dragging out an old inflatable mattress from the attic to sleep on. I looked at the clock- 7:30 am. Luckily, it was Saturday, meaning I didn't have to leave Rachel here while I went to school. She seemed lonely- juice, she barely seemed _emotionally stable_. Yet, I felt this inexplicable need to protect her. From what, I had yet to find out.

I heard the sound again. It seemed to be coming from Rachel's direction. I climbed up the ladder to check on her. She was awake, and it looked like she might be crying.

"Rachel? Are you ok?" I sat down next to her. "What happened?"

"Err, bad dream." She sat up. Her eyes were red from crying.

"It seems like it was more than just a bad dream. Is your memory coming back? Was it painful? Are you all right?"

She sighed. "For my own sake, I hope it never actually happened. But, oh God, why else would I dream it?" She groaned, taking the pillow out from behind her and slamming it on her face. "If _that's_ any clue to what my life B.M.L. was, I'd be happy to stay oblivious to it for the rest of my life."

I sighed. "You can't just run away from your past, Rachel. And… B.M.L.? What the juice is that?"

"Before Memory Loss. And, yes, you can. It's just a matter of running far enough." She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead of her. "You have to know where to go, who to trust…" She looked down, as if remembering, but that only lasted a split-second. "I just don't know anymore. I get flashes of what must be my old life, but nothing more. I need to put the past behind me, just live for now, you know? Stop worrying about who I might have been and focus on who I could be."

"I couldn't agree more. But you need to find out who you once were. You may have been hurt so badly that it traumatized you, which would explain the memory loss. But the question is, why? Why would anyone ever want to hurt you? You seem so innocent."

She laughed darkly. "That's probably just because of the memory loss. There has to be a good reason why I can't remember one freaking thing about my life."

"You remembered your name," I reminded her.

"No, I didn't," she admitted. "I found this in my pocket." She pulled out a crumpled-up piece of paper from her pocket.

"_Your name is Rachel Crawford. _Ok, so you didn't remember _anything_. But why would you put a piece of paper in your pocket reminding you who you were? It's not like people just expect to get amnesia."

"I don't think it's amnesia." She looked right at me, eyes wide. "I think someone did this to me. And I think I let them."

"What do you mean, you _let_ them?"

"I'm not sure. I can't remember why I thought that anymore, it's just a hunch. Forget I said anything." She turned away from me, as if offended.

All of a sudden I understood. "No, Rachel, I didn't mean it like that, I was just wondering why… I didn't mean that you were weak or anything… it's… I just…"

"No, who was I kidding? I probably _do_ have amnesia." She moved past me to the edge of the bed and climbed down the ladder and stood by the window, staring out of it. "I'm probably just in denial. My subconscious probably blocked my memories out because they were too painful or something." It looked as if she was pained to say that last sentence.

I went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Rachel. It's probably not as bad as you think."

(Rachel's POV)

"I'm probably just in denial." I didn't know why, but saying those words felt like a lie. "My subconscious probably blocked my memories out because they were too painful or something." It hurt to say that last part. Not because I was imagining what could've happened, but because saying it felt like a violation of my true self. Though for the life of me I couldn't figure out why, let alone who my true self even was.

Randy put a hand on my shoulder, probably to comfort me. He must have noticed the look on my face. "It's okay, Rachel. It's probably not as bad as you think." Even though I knew that he was imagining something completely different had happened to me than what I think really happened, I didn't try to correct him. After all, I had no place to correct him when he was probably the one who was right. I had a weird feeling, once again, that I had been told I was wrong about these kinds of things before.

I also didn't want him to move away from me. I didn't know why, but I felt the sudden urge to move closer to him (which I did).

(Randy's POV)

Rachel moved closer to me. And I don't mean like an inch or something, she was pressed up against me now. I was shocked, but I didn't push her away. Because it felt good. I glanced at her. Cautiously and slowly, I moved my hand from her shoulder and put my arm all the way around her. She leaned her head against my shoulder. I pulled her closer. She turned to face me, and we were looking directly into each other's eyes. Her eyes were so blue… I was enchanted by her. She wasn't just _pretty_, she was beautiful. And her hair… it was like sunshine… Maybe I didn't just think of her as a friend. Oh, who was I kidding, I really didn't merely think of her as a friend, I wanted her. I didn't care that she barely had any idea who she was, or that we just met yesterday. I just wanted her. So badly.

"Randy?" she asked quietly.

"No, just… don't say anything…" I didn't want talking about the moment to ruin it. Closing my eyes, I leaned closer to Rachel with my heart racing and-

"Randy! Rachel! Are you awake? Breakfast is almost ready," my mom called from downstairs. We both pulled away. I was shocked at what had almost happened. I mean, I just met some girl off the street yesterday and I had almost kissed her. I couldn't believe myself. I couldn't even look at Rachel, I was so embarrassed. Who knew what she thought of me now?

"We're awake, Mom. We're coming," I yelled back. I opened the door and left the room, leaving it open so Rachel could come.

(Rachel's POV)

I turned to face Randy, looking into his sapphire blue eyes. All of a sudden, I felt something, and it got hard to breathe.

"Randy?" I asked, wondering if he felt it too.

"No, just… don't say anything…" He murmured, leaning closer, closing his eyes. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I leaned in and closed my eyes. We were so close, I could feel it. When, all of a sudden-

"Randy! Rachel! Are you awake? Breakfast is almost ready." I recognized the voice to be Randy's mom. We both pulled away, jerked back into reality. Where we had just met less than twenty-four hours ago, and he was a local boy that was too hot for me (I wouldn't be surprised if he was popular, too **Oh, Rachel, you couldn't be more wrong**) and I was the crazy amnesiac he found by the street, staring at the sky with an insane look in her eyes. I hoped that wasn't how he saw me now. I waited for him to look at me in the hopes that my theories would be proven wrong, but he wouldn't even give me a glance.

"We're awake, Mom. We're coming," he replied, opening the door and leaving me behind. Yup, exactly what I thought. He hates me now. I sighed, and followed him out.

(Randy's POV)

I could feel the tension in the air as Rachel appeared at the top of the stairs. I couldn't help but stare until she caught me looking at her. I quickly looked away, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. I glanced over at my mom, hoping she hadn't noticed. Luckily, she was busy making pancakes (my favorite).

"Hey, Randy," Rachel whispered softly from behind me.

"H-hey, Rachel," I stammered back. Oh, great, now she probably thought I was an even bigger shoob than I had already proved to be.

A minute of awkward silence passed by before Rachel continued. "So, does your mom make pancakes every day?"

"Nope. Only on Saturdays. She's usually too busy getting ready for work on the weekdays and on Sundays she likes to sleep in."

"Every Saturday?"

"Most Saturdays. Sometimes something comes up, or she runs out of milk, but yeah, every Saturday that she can, she does."

"Cool."

That pesky awkward silence returned for a few more seconds until my mom said, "Who wants pancakes?" and gave us each a plate with a stack of pancakes on them. Rachel sat down in the seat to my left and reached for the butter and a knife, while I grabbed the maple syrup. My mom got her own plate of pancakes and sat down in the third seat.

She saw where Rachel was sitting and got a concerned look on her face. "Oh, Rachel, that's where… Never mind, I keep forgetting he's away."

"What do you mean, Mrs. Cunningham?" Rachel asked, confused.

"My dad's away on a business trip. He left in November and he's coming back in two weeks," I explained to her.

"Oh, what does he do?"

"He's a doctor. He left to go treat a particularly bad case of the flu…"

My mom gave me a stern look. "Honey, it's not the flu. It's… actually, I'm forgetting what it is at the moment, but it'll come back to me. It's a very rare but serious disease, and a severe outbreak occurred in a small farm town in Kansas. He and two other doctors from Norrisville were sent to cure the patients, and it's very contagious. I hope he doesn't catch it; he could die if he did. It's similar to the flu, though. But only because it makes your body temperature higher than normal."

"I was never good at biography…" My mom shot me a look. "Kidding! I'm kidding! I know it's called biology, I was just kidding! Hehe…" I went back to eating, embarrassed at having looked stupid in front of Rachel, who I glanced at, which turned into another stare. She caught me, again, and I looked away embarrassedly, again.

This time, my mom noticed. "There seems to be tension between you two…" All of a sudden, my mom shot me a glare. "Randy! I thought I told you not to-"

"Oh, don't worry Mrs. Cunningham," Rachel interjected. "He was a perfect gentleman."

"Yeah, more like a perfect shoob," I muttered between bites.

"What was that, Randy?" my mom asked.

"Nothing." Rachel looked at me sympathetically. What the juice? She was acting like nothing was wrong. It was as if she didn't hate me for almost kissing her. Which I really shouldn't have done, it was a huge mistake.

(Rachel's POV)

"There seems to be tension between you two… Randy! I thought I told you not to-"

"Oh, don't worry Mrs. Cunningham. He was a perfect gentleman."

"Yeah, more like a perfect shoob," Randy muttered. That was when it hit me: he was embarrassed about the almost-kiss from earlier. But _why_? He didn't have to apologize for his feelings, not to mention it was mostly my fault. I was the one who pressed up against him.

"What was that, Randy?" his mom asked.

"Nothing." I gave him a sympathetic glance as if to say, "I know you're embarrassed and I totally get it," but he just looked away.

I finished my pancakes, and then leaned closer to Randy and whispered, "We need to talk."

(Randy's POV)

I gulped. I knew it would be about the almost-kiss. "N-now?" I stammered. Rachel nodded, and I sighed. It was probably better just to get this over with. "Excuse us, Mom." I had already finished my pancakes, and I noticed that Rachel had too. We headed upstairs and back to my room, where I was sure Rachel was going to say that she hated me for not being able to control myself and that she wanted to leave. I glanced at her, but looked away before she could catch me. I had learned my lesson. I just knew that Rachel was going to leave and go out on her own with no recollection of who she was, and it would be all my fault. Isn't a ninja supposed to protect the innocent? I sat down on the couch, and Rachel closed the door behind her and sat down next to me. This was it. This "relationship" was about to end before it even began.


	2. Rachel meets Howard

**A/N: I'm mostly going to be doing Randy's POV for this chapter. The middle of this chapter is basically a filler. – ninja-girl202**

(Randy's POV)

"Look, Rachel, I know you must hate me now but-"

"Who said anything about hating you?" Rachel interrupted. I was shocked. The way she pulled away before, I was sure that she thought I was some shoob who couldn't control his emotions.

"R-really? The way you pulled away so quickly, I thought-"

"No, I pulled away when your mom called because I thought she was going to come up and open the door. I knew that if she saw us, she would suspect something happened and kick me out. I couldn't let that happen."

"Because you have nowhere else to go?"

"No- well, yes, that too, but mostly because you're my friend, Randy, and I don't want to lose you." She said that she didn't want to lose me! But then I realized that she also said she was my friend. As in, _just_ a friend.

"Wait, so does that mean-"

"Yeah. We can't risk your mom finding out until we find out what's going on." She must have seen the disappointment written on my face because she added, "Look, I like you too, and don't get me wrong, I want to be more than just friends, but we can't. Not yet. Not to mention we just met, rushing in too quickly is supposed to be bad for a relationship anyway, so we'd actually be doing a good thing... I think." She sighed, and I grabbed her hands. Our eyes met. I could see it in her eyes that this wasn't an easy decision for her, and she was telling the truth; she did like me back.

"We can keep it from her. She's out a lot. We can get you in my school, Norrisville High. She can't catch us there." When she didn't say anything back, I took it as a yes and leaned in to finish what we started.

"Randy! Rachel! I'm going out to buy some groceries. You can go to Howard's if you want, Randy, but bring Rachel along. We're not leaving her by herself."

"Ok, maybe you're right. But you're still going to school with me. Not because I like you, but because you can't just sit around here and watch movies or something while I'm gone."

"Yeah. Besides, when you came back, you'd probably notice an extreme lack of… wait… I can't remember what my favorite food is… oh, right. I forgot… everything." It seemed to just be hitting her now what she had lost.

"Hey," I said, putting an arm around her, and she leaned into my side. "You'll remember eventually. Besides, you'll probably be able to figure it out all over again."

"Yeah, you're right. I can just try all the foods in the world until I find the one I like the most," she joked. "This is just as friends, right?"

"Oh, yeah, totally." We stayed like that for a while, even though we both knew this would only make it harder to just be friends.

I got a text from Howard. I looked over at Rachel, who was on the computer, probably looking up something about memory loss. The text read: _Cunningham WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! You didn't respond to any of my calls last night. Get over here so I know you're alive and can still lose at Grave Puncher. –Howard_

_On my way_, I texted back. _And YOU'RE the one who keeps losing. –Randy_

"Hey, Rachel?"

"Yeah?" She turned around.

"We're gonna go over to my best friend Howard's house. Don't worry, you're gonna love him. Not as much as you love me, though."

"Ok." She closed the window on the screen and got up, grinning.

(Rachel's POV)

"Oh, and one more thing. Don't tell him that we almost kissed… twice…"

"Don't worry; I can keep a secret… I think."

"I can't even imagine how hard it must be having no idea who you are. But there are some things that you don't need experience to know, Ray." My heart swelled. He had already nicknamed me! But just as a friend, I was sure. For all I knew, he was already over me. "Can I call you that?"

"Sure." We left for his friend's house.

(Randy's POV)

I knocked on Howard's door. Heidi opened it.

"Oh, it's you, Sandy. With some girl."

I sighed. "Heidi it's Randy just like it always has been. This is Rachel, by the way."

"Ugh whatever Andy. Howard, Mandy's here!" Heidi called.

"Seriously? I've heard of short-term memory but this is ridiculous," Rachel muttered.

"You get used to it. And Heidi it's Randy I just said it." Howard ran up to the door.

"Hey Cunningham! You know that level on Grave Puncher 5 that you always beat me on? Well this time I know I've figured out how to beat you on it! With my mind! Hey who's your girlfriend?"

"This is Rachel, I'll explain everything later. And she's NOT my girlfriend, just friends, that is all. Rachel, this is my best friend Howard Weinerman."

"So you're available then?" he asked looking at Rachel, who suddenly got a weirded-out look on her face. I then got very uncomfortable with the fact that my best friend was hitting on the girl I liked, and I tried not to glare at him.

"On second thought we're dating," Rachel said taking a step away from Howard.

"Relax I was only messin' with ya," Howard reassured her, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Besides it's obvious that my buddy Cunningham likes you." I tensed up at that, forgetting for a minute that she already knew. I was surprised how deep it went even though we had just met. I was sure that she didn't like me as much as I liked her; after all, she hadn't exactly been willing to fight for me. Or maybe I was just letting my emotions get the best of me. Rachel had seemed to be able to really see the situation, unlike me. I had just wanted to kiss her… I had to stop myself from facepalming. She was not only out of my league, but she had no idea who she was. Oh, God. What if she already had a boyfriend? I really was a shoob.

"See Cunningham? I told you I would beat you this time!" Howard got up and pointed towards the screen. "And THAT'S how ya do it."

"Well it would be… if it weren't for the 10-point reverse backflip combo." **Not a real thing, by the way, I just made that up.**

"WHAT?! NO!" Howard ran back to the video game controller.

"And Randy Cunningham wins Grave Puncher 5's 'Impossible' level 15 for the _fifteenth_ time." I laughed at my own corny joke, and I almost didn't hear Rachel giggle in the background.

"You think it's so funny, do you? Why don't YOU try it?" Howard asked Rachel angrily yet sarcastically.

Rachel shrugged. "Ok. Give me the controller." Howard started to hand it to her.

"Wait!" They both looked at me. "There's a three-player mode. Plug in the extra controller, Howard. He did so, and we all played together from the beginning, since if Rachel even had played Grave Puncher before she didn't remember it.

"Wow, Rachel, you're good. For a beginner," Howard said.

"Thanks… I guess." In response to that, she pulled a move on Howard in the game.

"You ARE a beginner… right?" Howard had obviously rethought his earlier comment.

"Probably."

"Wait," Howard said, pressing the pause button. "What do you mean by probably?"

I figured now was as good a time as any to tell him the truth about Rachel. "She lost her memory. I found her by the street yesterday after I defeated that robot we saw going out of school. All she knew was her name so I took her in. Yes, my mom's ok with it."

"Well that explains a lot." We went back to playing Grave Puncher 5, which Rachel was surprisingly good at. She actually beat Howard on her first try. Howard swore, throwing the controller at the screen. "How is she so good at this freaking game? Yet you still won Cunningham! Am I the only one who feels my pain?"

"Considering it's YOUR pain, yes. You are, indeed, the only one," I answered. Howard grumbled.

"Maybe we should do something else for a while…" Rachel interrupted, sensing the tension.

"Nah, this is our thing. Right Howard?"

"Definitely. Ugh, I gotta go to the bathroom. I think I'll be a while." He left for the bathroom just as Heidi opened the door.

"Hi Rachel. Rudy. I'm leaving to go interview Kayla Anderson to see how her broken leg is doing. Tell Howard I'll give him 20 dollars not to tell Mom I left. I'll be back before she comes." With that, Heidi left.

"Really? She STILL can't remember my name? She's called me four different names today. At least she remembers yours."

"She just met me fifteen minutes ago, yet she remembers MY name instead of yours? That's kind of messed up." Rachel walked over to the table and must not have been looking where she was going, because she bumped into it and a cup of orange juice spilled on her skirt. "I really need a change of clothes- Why am I wearing this anyway? I don't even like this skirt!" She sighed, and I got an idea.

"I think I know where you can get more clothes."

"Are you sure about this, Randy?" Rachel asked five minutes later. We were standing in Heidi's bedroom.

"Positive. The girl has so many clothes, she won't miss a couple outfits," I assured her.

"Well, if you're sure." Rachel walked over to a drawer with some shirts in them, and she took a green one and a blue one, both of which I had only seen Heidi wear once. She looked around some more and got out two pairs of jeans, which, luckily, Heidi rarely wore in the first place. Rachel then gave me a glare.

"What?" I asked.

"You know I have to put these on, right?"

"Oh… oops. Hehe, sorry." I backed out of the room and shut the door. A few minutes later, Rachel opened the door, wearing the blue shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Do we have a bag or something? 'Cause I can't just walk around carrying these." She gestured to the other stolen outfit and the one she took off, both in her arms.

"No, but we can borrow one of Howard's. He won't mind, he borrows my stuff all the time." I went over to Howard's room and got an old backpack he no longer used. I grabbed it, hurrying back to Rachel, who put the clothes in the bag. We left for Howard's room, and we made it just in time.

"I would've been back sooner, but the stupid toilet wouldn't flush."

"Again?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think we have a plumbing problem. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program: Grave Puncher 5: HOWARD STRIKES AGAIN!"

"Wait, that's not what it's called," I said.

"Oh, but it will be. When I kick your butts!" With that, we all had a rematch in Grave Puncher 5, and the scores came out pretty much the same as before. After that, Rachel and I had to leave, and I promised Howard I would call him later.

We opened the door to my house to find my mom on the phone. "Yes, we'll be there right away," she said and hung up. "Rachel, you have an appointment with the doctor. Randy, you can stay home if you want."

"No, I'm coming."

"Ok, if you say so. And, Rachel, don't think I don't know where that outfit came from."

I gulped. I couldn't let Rachel take the heat for my plan. "Mom, it was all my idea-"

"No, no, I'm ok with it. And you can keep it, Rachel. Between the three of us, I think Heidi could use a few less outfits in her wardrobe anyway. But next time, just go to the mall like a normal 14-year old."

"Orange juice got on her skirt. It couldn't wait."

"In that case I understand. Let's go." 45 minutes later, we were sitting in the doctor's office while the doctor was doing all these tests on Rachel.

He put his thingy, whatever it was, back where it went. "I don't understand. She shows no signs of amnesia or trauma. And even if she did, I've never seen a case quite like this. It's as if she forgot everything personal to her own life, but remembers everything she would need to survive. It almost seems… intentional." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Cunningham, I don't know what to tell you. I've been a doctor for twenty-two years, but I've never seen anything like this in my entire career. It's like her memory was… erased." I looked at Rachel to see how she was taking it. Strangely, she didn't look too surprised.

"Are you sure you don't know what's going on?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Like I said, I just don't know what to tell you. We can get an X-ray to see if we can gather more information."

"Do you think you can fit her in now?" my mom asked.

"Yes, I suppose. Wait here." He left the room, and Rachel sighed.

I went over to her. "Don't worry, Ray. We'll figure out what's going on here."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing," Rachel whispered.

The doctor poked his head into the room. "It's ready, Rachel." Rachel got up and walked over to the door. "You two stay here. She'll be out in a few minutes." Rachel gave me a slight wave as she left the room.

(Rachel's POV)

"Lie down on the table. We're just going to do a few quick scans on you." I followed his instructions, and he stepped into the side room. The X-ray began. When it was over, the doctor stared at the screen with a shocked look on his face.

"Yes! They did it!" I heard him yell through the glass. "They finally found one that works on…" he trailed off, looking at me. I just stared, shocked and confused. He came out of the room. "Rachel, I'm just going to be honest with you," he said with a cold look in his eyes. "I know who you are."

**CLIFFHANGER! :) Muahaha… To be continued… Plz, plz, PLZ REVIEW!**


	3. The first warning

**A/N: Ok I know I already posted a chapter today but I got excited and wrote this one too. This is pretty short but it's important. Enjoy! :)**

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(Rachel's POV)

My blood ran cold. "What do you mean, you know who I am?"

"I'm not allowed to tell the whole story, because it could bring back the memories my boss has tried so hard to erase. But they couldn't do it unless you agreed to, and you would only agree to if you were sent here afterwards. I'm surprised they didn't break their word though, but you would have just seen it and they would be back at square one."

"Who are you talking about? And what would I have seen?"

He laughed. "Oh, this is even more delicious than I could have imagined! Not only do you not remember your life, you don't remember what you've been running from, or that you've been running from anything in the first place! Well now you probably know. But they won't hurt you anymore… unless you remember. Stay in oblivion, Rachel. You must stay. In. Oblivion." He pushed me out of the room, and I had no choice but to return to the Cunninghams, who were waiting in the doctor's room. Telling Mrs. Cunningham what had happened was out of the question, obviously. I wasn't sure if I should tell Randy, I didn't want to alarm him. But how else was I going to get out of this mess?

(Randy's POV)

Rachel opened the door. I could immediately tell something was wrong by the look on her face. I hadn't seen her this scared, not even after the nightmare.

"How did it go?" my mom asked her.

"Good," she said weakly.

"Is something wrong?" my mom asked.

"No, nothing is wrong." Rachel sat down next to me.

"Something's wrong, I can tell," I whispered.

"I'll explain later," she whispered back. The doctor came in and basically told us what we already know, but this time there was a coldness surrounding him that I hadn't noticed before. We left the doctor's office and piled into the car. My mom was in the driver's seat and Rachel and I were in the back.

"Seriously, Ray, what's going on? What happened in there?"

"I told you I'd explain later."

"It was really bad, wasn't it?"

"No-" she started to say, but I gave her a look that said, "Maybe you fooled the others, but not me." "Yeah, it was pretty bad… I'll explain when we're alone." Luckily we were whispering so my mom couldn't hear us. When we got home, Rachel and I went up to my room.

"Ok so what happened?"

"Well it seemed normal at first. But when it was over, he was like, 'Yes! They did it! They finally found one that works on…' and then he looks at me, and then he comes out and says, 'Rachel I'm gonna be honest with you. I know who you are." I gasped. "And then I was like 'What do you mean,' and then he's like, 'I'm not allowed to tell the whole story, because it could bring back the memories my boss has tried so hard to erase. But they couldn't do it unless you agreed to, and you would only agree to if you were sent here afterwards. I'm surprised they didn't break their word though, but you would have just seen it and they would be back at square one.'"

"What does that even mean?" I interrupted.

"I'm not finished yet. I had the same question, and he said, 'Oh, this is even more delicious than I could have imagined! Not only do you not remember your life, you don't remember what you've been running from, or that you've been running from anything in the first place! Well now you probably know. But they won't hurt you anymore… unless you remember. Stay in oblivion, Rachel. You must stay. In. Oblivion.' And then he pushes me out of the room."

"I can't believe it! Your memory really was erased!"

"Yeah," she says, looking at the ground. "And apparently someone's after me, too."

"Hey," I say, hugging her. "It'll be ok." And she lets me. She doesn't say that this isn't something that friends do; she doesn't ask if we're still just friends, she doesn't say anything at all, and she doesn't resist. I'm not sure if it's just because she's still in shock, but she hugs me back.

(Rachel's POV)

He hugs me, and I let him. I know that I should remind him that we're just friends, but I don't want to. I hug him back, and I don't want to let go. I want to pretend that everything's alright, that we can be together, that there isn't some mysterious all-powerful enemy after me. That that said enemy didn't erase my memory. There is just Randy and I.


	4. Apologies

**A/N: Yeah this is another short chapter. Sorry! I'll make the next chapter longer to make up for it. I realized that there's another RC9GN story titled Confusion. Should I change the title? By the way, I may not have mentioned this before, but please please please review! :)**

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(Rachel's POV)

I got dressed in the guest bedroom for my first day at Randy's school, aka Norrisville High. Mrs. Cunningham had declared during dinner on Saturday night that Randy and I couldn't sleep in the same room (for obvious reasons). We agreed, of course. On Sunday, Mrs. Cunningham and I had gone shopping for more clothes for me, and Randy had stayed home. He had wanted to come, which was cute. Guys weren't supposed to like shopping, but he probably only wanted to come because he seemed to rarely leave my side ever since I met him. However, Mrs. Cunningham had insisted that he go hang out with Howard (which was a good call, it would've been awkward with him there). When I was finished, I opened the door and went downstairs for breakfast. I saw Randy was already there, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Hey, Randy."

"Hey, Ray." I started for the cabinet to get out a bowl. "Oh, don't worry; I already got it for you. Hope you like McFistio's."

"Wow, thank you." I was surprised at the gesture, but in a good way.

He smiled. "It was nothing." I sat down and began eating. It wasn't even soggy; he must've heard me coming and made it then. When Randy was finished, he grabbed his backpack and waited for me by the door. I made an effort to finish quickly, then I got my stuff, and Randy opened the door for me and followed me out, closing and locking the door.

(Randy's POV)

"Are you excited?" I asked Rachel as we walked to Norrisville High.

"More like nervous. I don't know anyone there, other than you and Howard."

"Heidi goes there too."

"I thought so, but I didn't include her because she doesn't seem to like us."

"She doesn't. At least, she doesn't like me. It's hard to tell with you, since you and her barely talked."

"Yeah. By the way, what was up with her not being able to remember your name? I mean, she called you Sandy, Andy, Mandy, and Rudy, and Sandy and Mandy aren't even guy's names! I mean, what the freaking juice was that all about?"

"I don't know. She's been doing it for as long as I can remember. Howard thinks she does it because she's embarrassed by him and doesn't want people to think she associates with losers."

"But you're not a loser."

"Thanks."

"No, I mean it. Why would she think you are?"

I sighed, not wanting to admit it to Rachel. "Well, we're not exactly the coolest kids in school, if you know what I mean."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to think of me like that." I looked at the ground, unable to meet her eyes.

"I would never. You're my friend, and I don't care what anyone else thinks."

"Then why are we just friends? Isn't that why we're not together?"

I could tell by the look on her face that I had hit close to home. "No, Ray, I didn't mean it like that! I swear that's not what I meant!" Rachel walked ahead of me. "Rachel, come back! Wait up, Ray!"

"No. J-just don't talk to me."

"Ray," I moaned. "I'm sorry! I only try to rush us because I care." She stopped and turned around. "Look, Rachel, if you really just want to be friends, I can do that. I just thought… maybe you felt the same way…"

(Rachel's POV)

"Look, Randy. I do care, it's just that-"

"No. Obviously you don't." He turned away, wounded. "If you really cared, you would show it. You wouldn't just say you did." With that, he started to walk away. I realized I had to make a choice: either keep acting on my emotions and encourage him, which could only hurt him in the end, or push away his advances entirely, which would hurt him in the moment, but I knew that he would understand that this was the way things needed to be, especially now. If I did remember, I didn't want to put him in danger. My enemy, whoever it was, would be sure to hurt the ones I loved to get to me, and I couldn't let Randy suffer.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have encouraged you. I should've known it couldn't last. I should've known better. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, yet that's exactly what I did, and I'm so sorry, Randy. You're not the one in the wrong. You never were. This is all my fault. All of it. Down to the last thing. If I hadn't made an enemy of some powerful force, none of this ever would've happened."

"Rachel, you don't have to apologize-"

"Yes, I do. We both know this is my fault."

(Randy's POV)

"Rachel, stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault someone's after you to make sure you never remember your old life. Besides, even if it was, I'd still protect you. But just as friends," I added with my heart racing because of what I was going to do next, but I had to do it or else I'd never have closure. "And this is just as friends, too," I said right before I pulled her in to finally kiss her.

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**Whoa! That was unexpected… wonder how Rachel's gonna take it (actually I already know, I've already typed up the next part, but I thought that this was an awesome cliffhanger). And don't forget to review! :)**


	5. The friend-zone

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday! This chapter is longer than the last two so I hope that makes up for it. :)**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham, but I do own Rachel.**

**Guys, please review! I only have one review. And I review all the time. I know you're reading my story (because you're reading this). If you have a comment concerning one of my earlier chapters, go ahead and leave it. Constructive criticism is appreciated, though destructive criticism is not.**

**And, lastly, thank you for reading my story! I know there hasn't been much in the way of ninja action yet, but that's about to change.**

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(Randy's POV)

At first she seemed shocked, but then she relaxed and kissed me back. The world disappeared and there was just Rachel and I. The kiss must've lasted a good long time, because when we finally broke apart, I looked at my watch and it said 7:50, and we had left the house at 7:30. We both looked at each other, shocked at what had just happened, and then we quickly looked away. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, and I glanced at Rachel for a second, and she was also red in the face.

(Rachel's POV)

It felt amazing. It felt like I was flying. I was surprised that he had been this forward. I would never do something like that… I think. It was so frustrating not being able to remember anything about myself. When it ended, we looked at each other for a second, but then we both looked away, feeling embarrassed about our feelings for each other. It was strange that we were, because we shouldn't have to have been. Yet we were anyway. But I didn't regret kissing him back, not for one second, because it had been the best experience of my life, and if I got my memory back, it probably still would be.

(Randy's POV)

After over a minute of silence, I was the first to speak. "I refuse to feel guilty."

"Why would you feel guilty?"

"Because you haven't really been acting like you feel the same way, and I've made it obvious the way I feel about you, Ray. But you haven't, and it confuses me. A lot," I admitted.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you weren't sure. I thought I already told you."

"Well could you remind me?"

"I like you back, Randy." When she said that it felt like all of my worries had just evaporated into thin air. "I really do. I really, really do. The only reason I thought we should just be friends was because I had thought it would be a bad idea, with us living in the same house and all, but maybe you were right. We should just follow our hearts."

I sighed, hating having to make the right decision. "No. Your first instincts were right. We need to just be friends. We can't risk my mom discovering us. She might kick you out so we wouldn't be tempted to… you know..."

"Well we wouldn't, but you're right. We have to stay in the friend-zone until we figure out this mess."

"Or at least until we find out where you live," I commented jokingly.

All of a sudden, her eyes grew wide. "Randy, what if I don't live in Norrisville? Or even close to Norrisville? I'm pretty sure that my enemies placed me here after they wiped my memory intentionally. What if I live halfway across the country? I'd never see you again." A small tear slipped down her cheek.

"Hey," I whispered, wiping the tear off of her cheek. "It'll be ok. You'll see." I tried to reassure her, but she had a point. What if she lived someplace faraway? This brought me to a thought I had had earlier.

"Rachel…?" I began.

"Yeah?" she responded, looking up at me.

"What if…?" I paused, not wanting to put the idea into her mind. "What if you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh, God, I hope not. But if I do, even if he's the most amazing boyfriend on the planet, you'd be a million times better. And I'd take you over him any day. And that's assuming I actually have one, which I probably don't. I've noticed that I'm a little on the shy side. The only reason that I tell you things because I feel like I can trust you."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, 'cause I was afraid that you might say that you'd go back to him, even after all that we've been through," I admitted. "But we are just friends again, so…"

"Assuming I did, I'd dump him for you even if you didn't like me back." She kissed me on the cheek, but then seemed to realize what she had just done. "Ok, _now_ we're just friends."

I sighed. "Yeah." I looked at my watch. "Oh, crud, we're gonna be late! Come on, Ray!" I ran towards the school, and she ran beside me.

Luckily, we hadn't been late. We had gotten there just in time, and Rachel went to the office to get her schedule. She came back five minutes later holding a sheet of paper.

"Hey, Ray. What's your first class?"

"English with Mr. Bannister. What's yours?"

"Same as yours. Let's go. You don't wanna be late for his class, trust me. He's not really the nicest teacher in the world."

"Oh, joy." We walked to his class, and I warned her about his random yelling fits. It was a pretty short distance to Mr. Bannister's room, and we got inside just after the bell rang.

"Hello, Randy. I see you've been showing around our new student, Rachel Crawford. Which I don't mind, as long as it DOESN'T MAKE YOU LATE AGAIN! And Rachel, welcome to Norrisville High. I can understand tardiness on the first day, as long as it DOESN'T BECOME A HABIT!"

"Wow," Rachel whispered. "He really is a yeller."

"You have no idea." I sat down in my seat next to Howard in the second to last row.

"Rachel, go sit in the empty seat behind Randy." Rachel did so.

"Umm Mr. Bannister?" A kid in the front row asked.

"WHAT?!"

"Doesn't Margaret sit there?"

"Well MARGARET AIN'T HERE ANYMORE! QUIT LIVIN' IN THE PAST!"

"Meh I never liked her anyways."

"So what do you usually do in here?" Rachel whispered.

"If he's in a good mood, he'll teach us something. If he's in a bad mood-"

"Essay! 500 words! Why…" He got up and approached a girl who was texting in the second row and snatched away her cell phone. "WHY CELL PHONES SHOULD BE BANNED FROM SCHOOL! Anyone who has questions on our topic should GO ASK JULIE!"(Julie was the girl who got her phone taken away). Julie muttered something (most likely a swear) and then everyone started writing.

"That happens," I whispered to Rachel.

"So do they really serve roadkill on Taco Tuesdays?" Rachel asked as we entered the cafeteria.

"Yeah, where'd you hear about it?" I answered.

"Someone was talking about it passing by."

"Believe it or not, Howard still eats the tacos."

Rachel gave me a look of disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Yep. He will eat anything as long as you slap a label on it that says food. I guess it's all the same to him."

"Sheesh."

"Where is Howard, anyway?"

"I think he's over there, at the circle table," Rachel replied, pointing to Howard who was sitting at Shangri-lunch.

"Oh, that's our table. Or as we like to call it, Shangri-lunch."

We made our way over to it, and when Howard spotted us, he shouted, "Cunningham, over here!" We sat down.

"Howard, you remember Rachel, right?"

"Yup."

"She goes to Norrisville now. We're going to go through the line, but I see you've already gotten food, and a lot of it. You remembered to save some for the other kids, right?"

"Of course I did! I'm not a shoob."

"I know, I was just kidding. Come on, Ray." I headed for the lunch line with Rachel right behind me. Once we got our lunch, we sat back down. At first it seemed like it would be an ordinary lunch, with the exception of it being Rachel's first, but about halfway through, three robo-apes burst through the wall. All of the kids, except for me, Howard, and surprisingly, Rachel, ran away screaming. "I have to… uh… go… do something," I said since Rachel didn't know I was the ninja, and I ducked under a table and put on the mask when she wasn't looking. I came out, and faced the robo-apes.

"I don't know what you robo-apes are trying to get away with this time, but you're going down! Ninja electro-balls!" I said throwing ninja electro-balls at them. Strangely, they didn't react at all.

Something was off. Normally that would at least do _something_ to them. Maybe they got an upgrade. Yes, that must be it. An upgrade. No wonder the 'bot from Friday was stronger.

(Rachel's POV)

"Who's that?" I asked, seeing a masked figure clad in black and red.

"That's the Ninja of Norrisville. Whenever monsters or robots attack the city, he's the one who has to defeat them. He's been protecting us for 800 years. But, sometimes, he lets it get to his head and acts like an overconfident shoob."

"Hey!" the ninja said, having heard that.

"What I meant to say was, you're doing great. Keep up the good work." The ninja rolled his eyes and went back to fighting the gorilla robots, or whatever the juice those things were.

(Randy's POV)

"Ninja slice!" I cut off the arm of the first robo-ape and then reached out and pulled off its head. They may have gotten upgrades, but they were still major-league shoobs. "One down, two to go. Who's next?" I went for the big one who had come in last, but then the other one planted himself in front of me and yelled. "Alright," I said, pulling out my Sais. "I'm flexible. Ninja sais!" I threw them at him, which would normally crack his thick robot armor, but that was not the case. "What the juice? Normally that works. Ninja chainsickle!" I threw the ninja chainsickle at him, but it barely made a dent. "Uh oh…" I trailed off, seeing him come straight for me, and punched me in the ribs- hard. "Oww… that… hurt…" I moaned, getting up. I saw him launch himself at me again, but I said, "Ninja scarf save!" and got out of the way. I was right above him, and sliced my sword all the way down, cutting him in half, saying "Ninja slice! Your turn," I taunted, looking at the big one, who hadn't done much of anything yet. I ran up to him with my sword, having learned my lesson about upgraded robo-apes and other ninja weapons, and I was just about to say ninja slice and finish him when he stopped my sword in mid-slice. I'm not kidding. He just reached out and stopped it without getting a scratch. These weren't the robo-apes I was used to, especially not this one. "What the juice? Since when can a robo-ape do that?" The robo-ape grinned evilly and hit me right in the spot that the other one had punched me in. "Ohh…" I groaned. "You just had to reinforce that injury…" Then, the strangest thing happened. The robo-ape didn't try to finish me. It just went back through the hole in the wall. Usually they fight me until I destroy. It wasn't like them to just give up, especially when they had the upper hand like this, which rarely happened. I would think that they would try to finish me, but no. It just left. "Uuunnnhhh…" I moaned as my vision went blurry and eventually blacked out.

(Rachel's POV)

I couldn't believe it. The ninja had lost. Howard had made it seem like he always won. Instead, he lay unconscious, blood dripping in a pool beside him.

"Ninja!" Howard shouted, running up to him. "Are you ok?"

"He's obviously unconscious," I said coming up to them, trying to sound confident. "We need to get him to the nurse."

"No. They'd have to take off his mask to check his injuries."

"So?"

"So?! Nobody's supposed to know who he is. It's, like, the number one ninja rule. Let's take him in there," Howard said, pointing to the janitor's closet, and we each took an arm and draped them over our shoulders, dragging the unconscious Ninja of Norrisville into the janitor's closet. We set him down on the floor and I looked for some bandaging tape, which, luckily, I found. I went back over to the ninja and reached for his mask.

"What are you doing?!" Howard asked.

"I need to take off his mask to bandage his injuries. It's the only way. I won't tell anyone who he is. Will you?"

"No, but-"

"Howard, it's _the only way_." I took off his mask, and I couldn't have been more shocked at who I saw. "Randy?" I asked, breathless.

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**Yep. I love them cliffhangers. What are you waiting for? Review my story! Please?**


	6. The Robo-apes left a mark

**A/N: Yay! I'm up to three reviews! :D Yep, I'm one of THOSE people…**

**Sorry to leave you hanging on that for so long! Yesterday was my last day of summer, so I may not update as regularly, but I'll try my best. Don't say I didn't warn you though... Enjoy! And remember to review! :)**

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(Rachel's POV)

"Did you know about this?" I asked Howard. Randy still lay unconscious on the floor.

"Uhhh…" Howard trailed off. "Maybe you should bandage him up now."

"Don't try to change the subject! But you're right." I took another look at his wound. The blood was soaking through his shirt. "Maybe this isn't the right time to say this, but I have no idea what I'm doing."

"It looked like you did. Just wing it."

I sighed. "Howard, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Of course it's not, but what choice do we have? If we take him to the nurse, she'll wonder how he got an injury this bad, and we don't have a good excuse. As much as I want to, we can't just blame Bash."

"Who's Bash?"

"Wow, you really are new here."

"No freaking duh. Do you have any idea how to do this?"

"Well I think you have to take off his shirt first."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Captain Obvious." I gently took off his jacket, and I was reaching for his shirt when the thought crossed my mind that I would be taking off the shirt of the guy I liked… oh God, what if he wakes up while I'm doing it? Yeah, that won't be awkward at all… "No, Howard, I _reeeaally _don't think this is a good idea. I mean, what are the chances that I excelled in biology? And even if I did, it's not like I actually remember any of it."

"Yeeaahhh… nice try. Are you bothered by blood or something?" I shook my head, and he grinned suspiciously. "Wait, I know what this is about. You like him, don't you?"

"What?! No, I just-"

"Alright, I'll pretend to believe you. For now. But you're not doing surgery; you're just bandaging him up so he doesn't leave a trail of blood all the way to the nurse's office. And yes, I changed my mind about that. So just do it already."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I turned back to the unconscious Randy, who was bleeding more by the second. I grasped his shirt, slowly easing it off of him. I pinched the bloody shirt with my thumb and pointer finger, and handed it to Howard while saying, "Here…" and he put it by the door and came back over. I held the bandaging tape in my hand when all of a sudden Randy's eyes opened.

(Randy's POV)

I awoke to find myself in what appeared to be a janitor's closet, with Rachel leaning over me, holding a roll of bandaging tape. Wait… what the juice? The last thing I remember was fighting the huge robo-ape. And then it had _left_. I still didn't understand that. It could've finished me, but it didn't. It just… left.

"Are you ok, Randy?" Rachel asked me. What the juice? I didn't remember taking off the ninja mask. I looked at my hands. They were bare, which meant I no longer had the ninja suit on. Not only that, but I wasn't even wearing a shirt.

I sat up, but then gasped at the intense pain that shot through my body. "Ohhh… searing… pain…" I lay back down, still moaning about the pain.

"Don't try to move. It'll only make it hurt more," Rachel explained, unrolling some of the bandaging tape and wrapping it around the part of my torso where the injury was located, though it didn't ease the pain. Then again, it probably wasn't supposed to. "We're taking you to the nurse. This is just so you don't bleed to death on the way there."

"Wait, we? What the juice is going on, Ray?" I asked, even though it hurt to talk.

"Howard's here. And I know you're the ninja." I opened my mouth to deny it, but she continued. "You got knocked around by those monkey robots pretty bad."

"Robo-apes," I corrected her weakly.

"You blacked out as soon as the last one left. We would've taken you to the nurse right away, but they would've had to take off your mask to check your injuries. Howard knew it would be better if we did it instead, and then took you to the nurse."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up. So, you're telling me, that Howard came up with a plan?"

"I can be responsible when I want to," Howard said, leaning against the wall.

"We came up with it as we went," Rachel explained.

"So how did you find out? You know, that I'm the ninja and all."

"I took off your mask. Howard told me not to, but it was the only way. I'm sorry."

"Why? Like you said, it was the only way. Besides, I trust you not to tell anyone." I winced at the pain that coursed through me when I moved in any way, including talking.

"It hurts to talk, doesn't it?" Rachel asked sympathetically. I nodded, moaning. "I'm sorry. I should've warned you that it might. I'm no doctor, but that wound looks pretty bad." She continued to bandage me.

"You don't have to apologize, Ray," I assured her despite how much it hurt to do so.

"No, don't talk. I don't want you to suffer because of me…" I could tell she meant more by that than she was letting on, but I knew better than to call her out on it, especially now. "Ok, I'm done. Let's get you to the nurse." Rachel and Howard each took one of my arms and helped me out of the room and to the nurse's office.

* * *

"This looks pretty bad, Randy, but it's nothing that won't heal on its own. Just try not to do anything that might be potentially for a while, ok? We don't want to stress the injury," The nurse said as she checked said injury. "You two did the right thing, bandaging him up before you came to see me. There's no telling how much blood he would've lost if you hadn't." She turned back to me. "I'm going to give you some painkiller. Now that you're properly bandaged, all you need to do is not stress your muscles. Alright?" I nodded, knowing that it was a lie. I had to do my duty as the ninja, no matter what. Even if it meant getting hurt even worse than I already had. "Are you sure that you don't remember what happened?" I shook my head, which, yet again, was a lie. "Alright then, I guess I'm going to have to believe you." She put some tablets in my hand. "Eat these. The pain should stop within twenty minutes." I put them in my mouth and chewed. They tasted a little sour, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I swallowed, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Yes, I know, they don't exactly taste like that newfangled candy or junk food you're probably used to."

"Try Taco Tuesdays," I muttered under my breath.

"But," she continued, "It works. So just stay here until you can no longer feel the pain. By the time it wears off, it will be more bearable. Howard, Rachel, you can go to class. I'll write you passes." The nurse took out two small pieces of paper and wrote on them, giving them to Rachel and Howard. Rachel gave me a wave before she left.

* * *

**I know, this isn't the usual cliffhanger. Not to mention it's short. But I'm not really sure what to do next… any ideas? I know what I'm going to do in later chapters but I have no idea what to do in between. I'm open to suggestions. :)**


	7. Please don't bring back the old memories

**A/N: I haven't updated in FIVE. DAYS. (facepalm) Sorry to keep you waiting! Not only has school started, but I had writer's block too, as if THAT wasn't enough already. So, I give you: Chapter 7, which is mostly backstory. Enjoy! And remember to review! :)**

**Btw there's a part in here that seems like Ranward but trust me it's not, they would totally do this in the show. All of the new names are randomly picked.**

(Randy's POV)

I kind of just stared at the ceiling as I lay on the bed in the nurse's office. I could feel the pain lessening, and now I could actually think.

I couldn't believe how fast Rachel had become such a big part of my life. First, I start to like her, then we almost kiss, then we do kiss, then she starts going to Norrisville and finds out I'm the ninja. I'll have to warn her about my enemies, like McFist and the Sorcerer. Wow, she actually knows nothing about my life as the ninja. I decided to explain it all to her when we got home.

Ah, Rachel. Admittedly, even though we had decided to be friends this morning, I still couldn't get her out of my mind, and I had only thought of her more after the kiss. Even though it had caused us to seal the just-friends deal, I hadn't regretted it. Not for one second, and I was ashamed to admit that even if she hadn't liked me back, I still might not have regretted it.

I sighed, looking over at the door. I wondered what Dad would say about that. He had always told me not to be forward, not to force the girl into a relationship, or to move too fast. He said that subtlety and quiet devotion were the key to a girl's heart. Yet I had only known Rachel since Friday and I had almost kissed her Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after we met. I had never imagined myself doing something like that. Rachel just… did something to me. It was like she turned off every logical part of my mind when she was near, and I hated myself for that. I knew that if I didn't try to think I would lose control of myself. I didn't want to make a mistake, or let her know just how deeply I felt it. I didn't want to scare her away. If I did something like that, she might not even want to be friends.

Gah, what the juice was happening to me? I had never felt so unsure of myself in my entire life, not even the day Howard and I signed up for Mac Antfee's camp-splosion!. I was completely clueless about these kinds of things. Dad had talked to me about girls once, but I think Mom made him do it. Dad had never been the affectionate type. He wasn't even social. Whenever he had to spend extra hours doctoring, he would come right home, quickly say hi to anyone who happened to be in the living room, and go straight to his and Mom's room and shut the door. He locked it, too. I had tried to get in one time back in 7th grade, needing help with biology homework. I would've asked Mom, but science isn't really her thing. Or mine, either, so I think I know where I got that from. Anyway, I tried to open the door and it was locked. I had knocked on the door. "Go away," he had said.

"But, Dad, I just need you to-"

"I SAID GO AWAY! Go ask your mom."

"But-"

"Now, Randy!"

I had just left after that, feeling hurt and confused. I saw Mom standing there, who had apparently witnessed the whole thing. She came up to me and said, "Randy, your father isn't in a good mood."

"But I just need help with my biology homework! I've been falling behind, and you know I'm no good at science. _Especially_ biology."

"Honey, I know this is hard for you to understand," she continued, putting a hand on my shoulder. "But sometimes your father just needs to be by himself."

"But WHY?!"

"Sometimes when he's in a bad mood, he doesn't want to be around other people."

"He's ALWAYS in a bad mood! And it's not other people he doesn't want to be around, it's just me."

"Randy-"

"No! Just leave me alone." I had walked away, trying not to run like I wanted to, but I didn't want to 'disturb' Dad. I climbed up the stairs, fighting the tears. This wasn't the first time. He was always like this. Mom said he tried, but he didn't. He didn't even want to be near me anymore. He had rarely said anything at dinner those days, and when he did, it wasn't usually something I agreed with. I went into my room, slamming the door. Why couldn't he just help me a little? I mean, was that really so hard?

The ringing of a phone had distracted me from my thoughts (well, it had been more like moping). I had looked over at my phone to see Howard's number displayed on the screen. I hadn't answered. I didn't think I was really in a state to speak to anyone.

That hadn't been the first time. It had just been the first time it really got to me. I had used to think that when it counted he would be there. I had never told that story to anyone, not even Howard. He actually asked me why I hadn't answered the phone the next day at school, and I lied and said that I was busy with homework. I told myself I would eventually tell him, but I never did, and I stopped thinking about it after a while and started getting used to Dad's poor attitude. Things were never the same with us after that, though our relationship hadn't exactly been great in the first place.

I wondered how he would react if when he came home Rachel was still living with us. He was good at reading between the lines, similar to my mom, though he was a lot better at it. He carefully observed, while Mom just saw it when she could. It was a good thing she had been busy lately, otherwise she would figure it out the instant Rachel and I came home. I knew it had to be obvious that I liked her; after all, Howard had pointed it out on Saturday. Though maybe he was just kidding…

I groaned. I couldn't take this anymore. My thoughts and I had not been close friends lately. "Are my 20 minutes up yet?" I whined, knowing I sounded extremely immature but not really caring.

"No, and they're only going to pass slower if you ask constantly."

"Ugh, WHY? Why did this even happen?" I thought out loud. "Robo-apes can't stop swords…" I muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." It wasn't merely _nothing_, though. The more I thought about it, the more confused I got. The first robo-ape wasn't that much better than your average robo-ape, but the second one was like double the power of that one, and don't even get me started on the third. It. Stopped. My. Honkin'. Sword. And it had looked so effortless. It just reached out its hand in the path that it should've cut and just blocked its motion without a single scratch. That wasn't even the weirdest part: it just left after that. It could've easily finished me.

Why was I rehashing things I already knew? I looked at the clock; two minutes had passed since I complained to the nurse. I sighed, just wanting my time here to be over. Even though I didn't really mind missing gym, I couldn't take feeling trapped here with nothing but my thoughts and a smart-mouthed nurse. I wished Rachel had been able to stay. Oh, and Howard too. But Rachel was literally all I could think about these days. I hated that I couldn't just let her go, accept that we weren't going to be together anytime soon. To be honest, I still wasn't sure whether she liked me back or was trying to spare my feelings. Though if that was the case, I appreciated that at least she tried not to hurt me, unlike _Stella North_.

We were in the 6th grade. Norrisville had its own elementary school, and high school, but no middle school, so depending on where the kids lived they were sent to the nearest middle school: either Flackville Middle School or K. Henderson Middle **I see so many schools named like this, with an initial and then a last name, so I picked random names**, which was in Walkerville, though most of the kids zoned for Flackville tried to sneak into K. Henderson or apply to a charter school since Flackville Middle was in a bad part of town. Luckily, Howard and I were zoned for K. Henderson Middle so we didn't have to worry about that. Since most of the other students in Henderson **I'm just going to call it that because it's shorter** lived in Walkerville rather than Norrisville, I didn't know most of the other kids, and the ones from Norrisville that I did know weren't in my classes. Except for Howard. Some of the other kids from Norrisville zoned for Henderson were Heidi (obviously. She was in 8th grade though), Bucky, Stevens, Debby Kang, Theresa Fowler, and Julian. I never really talked to any of them though (besides, I wouldn't be caught dead talking to Bucky). Bash, by the way, went to Flackville, which is partly why he's so violent now, and is also why he picks on Accordion Dave a lot, who also went to Flackville. As for Bucky, he had some kind of old grudge against him from elementary school (I'm not sure what went down, I think he accidentally stole his lunch or something. I really don't know). Bash just picks on everyone else when he's mad, even though you it's really hard to tell. The only reason I know is because a couple of times when I saw him walk away, he wasn't laughing, he was clenching his teeth, but that was only when his bros weren't around.

Anyway, back to the story. Howard and I made a couple friends from Walkerville, and they had friends, who had friends (one of those friends was Stella) and we all sat together at lunch. I saw Stella there, and I was happy about that because I had seen her in my science class, and I thought that she was kinda cute but I didn't say anything to Howard, mostly because he wasn't even in my science class. I was too nervous to talk to her though. I knew her because Howard's friend Forrest (who, ironically, had a crush on Stella's best friend Tessa) was friends with Eva, whose best friend was Molly who knew Stella. Stella had silky brown hair and brown eyes; she was somewhat tall and really, really thin, but not anorexic, I had seen her eat, but she pretty much only ate salad and such. My math teacher quit her job right before winter break, so everyone who that teacher had had to get a schedule change for the second semester. One of my classes that got switched was gym class, and I got switched into Howard, Forrest, Tessa and Stella's gym class. Howard noticed the way I stared at Stella and confronted me about it.

"Cunningham, can we talk?" He had asked one day in the boys' locker room before gym class.

"Uhhh sure."

"I've noticed the way you keep staring at Stella. Do you have a thing for her?"

"Whaaaaaat?! Pfffffttt, no! Of course not! Why would I even…?! Oh, Howard, that's RIDICULOUS! Me and Stella, hahaha! I mean, I barely know her, why would I…" Howard grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me into a shower stall.

"Ok Cunningham we're alone. So now do you wanna tell me the truth? Because you know you're a terrible liar."

"Ok FINE. I like her. I admit it. You dragged it out of me."

"I KNEW IT! Now, are you gonna ask her out, or…?"

"WHAT?! HONK no! She'd reject me in a heartbeat, ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Oh, I knew THAT. I just wanted to see you crash and burn…"

"Howard, not funny." I crossed my arms and glared at him, leaning against the wall.

"Ok, ok, maybe I crossed the line, but still. You have to TELL her. You can't just stand around and stare at her for the rest of the year."

"Really? Who said?"

"I DID! Now get out there and tell her how you really feel."

"No. Honkin'. Way. At least, not yet."

"Well at least TALK to her. You could be friends first. That's what Forrest is doing with Tessa."

"Oh well I guess I can do that. Wait Forrest likes Tessa? She doesn't really seem like his type. She's so quiet and shy, and Forrest is the class clown."

Howard shrugged. "I guess you don't control it. But I wouldn't know. I haven't liked anybody that way yet."

I raised my eyebrows and grinned. "Oh really? C'mon, there must be SOMEONE. Who is she?"

"What?! I never said that!"

"Don't deny it. So how does it feel to be on the other side of the interrogation?"

"Not cool Cunningham. This is NOT cool."

"I told you mine." He grunted in response. "Oh come on Howard. It's only fair."

"Nope."

"OH COME ON! You know I'll figure it out eventually."

"No, you won't Cunningham. Because THERE IS NO GIRL!"

"Mmmhmm."

"I'm SERIOUS!"

"Ok fine Howard. You win… for now." I took his advice and talked to Stella that day. Now that I was looking for it, I did notice that Forrest liked Tessa. Sometimes when she wasn't looking he would stare at her. I started talking to Stella more and more often, and she didn't seem to pick up on anything. At least, until February.

It had been an ordinary lunch until one of the other guys, who I think was named Edward, tapped on Tessa's shoulder and said, "Hey. Forrest likes you." She looked at Forrest, who was denying it, but he had this goofy grin on his face and it was obvious that he was lying. Then Edward looked at me, and tapped on Stella's shoulder. "And RANDY likes YOU." Stella looked at me accusingly.

"Wait, WHAT?! They're lying, I never-"

"Oh, don't even deny it dude. It's SO obvious. Not to mention your friend told us," Edward whispered to me. I looked over at Howard, who was laughing nervously. I confronted him later when we were alone.

"YOU TOLD?!"

"Hey, you know I can't keep a secret. And they were putting a lot of pressure on me-"

"HOWARD! I can't believe you! This is NOT the kind of thing you're supposed to just tell people!"

"Well if it makes you feel any better Forrest did TRY to stop them."

"But. He. DIDN'T."

"Hey chill out Cunningham. They thought they were doing the right thing. It's not my fault they can be such shoobs."

"HOWARD!"

"Ok FINE. I'm SORRY. HAPPY?!" I sighed, shaking my head as I walked away. "Cunningham!" he kept calling as he went after me.

"Howard, I'm not in the mood for this. Stella's probably never going to want to talk to me again and it's all your fault."

"Hey you don't know that. Maybe she likes you back."

I snorted in derision. "Yeah right."

"Well maybe she thinks they were only messing with her."

For the first time since lunch I felt a little bit of hope. "Yeah, maybe."

"See, that's the spirit! Besides, it's not my fault if she doesn't like you back. That's her own stupidness talking."

"Yeah, you're right. Hey, I'm sorry I blamed you. But 'stupidness' isn't a word."

"Well it should be." Stella did seem a bit more distant when I talked to her after that, but at least she was talking to me. I assumed that she was too nice to be like that.

I was wrong.

One day in March Howard said that Forrest was going to ask Tessa out and I should ask Stella out too. At first I was hesitant but he managed to convince me. I got her alone in gym and somehow found the words to ask her out.

She giggled. "Oh, Randy. You're a great friend- well, actually, you're not. You BARELY talk to me, and now you have the nerve to ask me to be MORE?! You're the last person I would ever date. If I had to choose between dating you, and dating a monkey, I think I would pick THE MONKEY."

I was shocked. "So… that's a no…?"

"Of course that's a NO you dimwit! I mean come on are you STUPID?!"

"Oh… I see…" I walked away dejectedly but trying not to show it. Howard told me that Tessa had said no to Forrest too. I told Howard Stella had rejected me but I didn't tell him all the mean things she said. I barely got through the next two classes. I didn't even hang out with Howard that day. I just went home and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling wondering what the juice I had done to make her hate me so bad. Though I only felt worse and worse. I had a tendency to be hard on myself when I was alone, but Mom was on a business trip and Dad wouldn't care anyways. The next day Howard and I visited Greg's Game Hole for the first time so that I could lose myself in the arcade games and forget about Stella. It turned out I was good, too. I eventually got the high score on all of the games, beating everyone. Including Howard. Stella and Tessa had some fallout at the end of the year and in 7th grade they weren't even friends, and Tessa had turned into a full-out tomboy, hanging with the skater crowd. Stella was popular now, and so was Forrest, while Howard and I had fallen to the bottom of the food chain, believed to be nothing but good-for-nothing video gamers who would eventually repeat a grade in high school. Stella "mysteriously" left halfway through 7th grade, but I found out why in February when I was at Howard's house and his little sister Hannah skipped through the doorway with a magazine for some store for younger girls. She flipped through it and left it on one of the pages. I looked over at it curiously and I couldn't believe what I saw. One of the models looked so familiar. I gasped. It couldn't be.

It was Stella.

After that I sort of turned into stalker dude, coming over to Howard's house more than usual and looking at the magazines whenever there was a new one. She stopped modeling for the store in July of that year, but she didn't come back. I assumed she got a new gig, but I couldn't find her. At the beginning of 8th grade, I decided to just let her go but something would always remind me of her. Maybe Tessa would walk by, who had somewhat reverted back to her old self but she didn't wear pink or skirts or anything remotely girly. Which happened a lot, considering she was in two of my classes. I would've liked to be myself again but I wasn't sure who that was anymore. Tessa and I sometimes talked. I think she felt bad for me because of how Stella treated me. I found out that the reason she changed was because she had liked a skater guy and she wanted to prove that she could be part of their group, but they eventually found out that she hadn't really changed and he broke up with her. Now she didn't really have anyone. I wonder how she turned out. I was able to let Stella go eventually but not until I found out I was the ninja, and then I realized that there was so much more to life than being locked in my room with Howard and playing Grave Puncher, and then I realized that Stella was the reason I was even doing that in the first place, and I knew I had to get over her.

So I did, and I eventually met Rachel. But I think Stella is the reason I'm always afraid to mess up with Rachel. I don't want to end up brokenhearted again, because now that I've gotten over her I realize just how hard I fell.

I look at the clock. It's probably been 20 minutes now, and I don't feel the pain anymore. Physically, at least. I get up and say bye to the nurse, who gives me a doctor's note saying that I needed to be excused from gym class. As I'm walking to class I see Rachel, who is probably going to the water fountain or something, and she comes up to me.

"Hi Randy! Are you feeling ok?"

"Huh?" I say, confused. How did she know about Stella? And then I realize she's talking about the injury. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. What class do you have?"

"History, and then I have science with Mrs. Driscoll."

"I have science next too!" I remember that I had science with Stella. I push the thought out of my mind. No, no, no, Rachel Crawford is nothing like Stella North.

"Awesome! I'll see you there. You should probably go to class."

"Ok. Bye, Ray." I go to gym class. I can't believe that I had to think about Stella when I was at the nurse. I hadn't been thinking about her for so long, but I just broke that streak, which couldn't be a good sign.


	8. A short chapter

**A/N: First of all, I want to take a moment to thank the seven people who reviewed this fanfic at one point or another: Rachel420, Ruby 1334, RandyCunningham IsTheCheese, 2 Guests, lucio, and RandyCunninghamIsBruceXD. You are all the cheese! :D I live for reviews, so please, please, PLEASE REVIEW!**

** Matt (whose review I deleted): What did I say? If you're referring to the stuff I said about the RC9GN pairings, sorry. I was a little upset that day. Yeah I looked it over and realized how much of a jerk wad I sounded like. Sorry! :( I'm not usually like that. And to anyone who supports those pairings, I am SO SO SORRY if I offended you. :'( I actually cried after reading your review, Matt. I rarely ever delete guest reviews. And if that wasn't it, I'm so confused… o_o**

**Originally I was going to make this longer but I needed to apologize first. :'(**

(Rachel's POV)

The final bell rang, signaling the end of my first day at Norrisville High. Randy, Howard, and I all got up from our desks and strolled out into the hallway, and then out the double doors at the front of the school.

"I can't believe the teacher's didn't give you homework JUST because you're new!" Howard complained to me.

"Howard, Rachel needs to catch up before doing any assignments. And I think they're going easy on her because of her memory being eras-, I mean, _lost_," Randy corrected himself in an attempt to cover up his mistake, since he knew better than to tell Howard how my memories _really_ disappeared. Howard didn't seem to notice Randy's slip-up.

"Why aren't you madder about this? Mrs. Driscoll gave us a buttload of homework tonight, and you're not exactly great at biology."

"Well just because I'm suffering doesn't mean she should too."

"Are you just saying that because I'm here?" I asked.

"What? No, of course not! I-"

"Hey, Rachel," Howard interrupted his friend. "Could you, um, go get my… uh, textbook? I left it in our last class."

"Ok, sure." I headed back to the school. Of course, anyone could see that there was no real textbook; he just wanted to talk to Randy alone.

"Wait, Ray, you don't have to-"

"I know, but I get the feeling that I probably should." I climbed up the steps and opened the double doors.

**Yeah, I know, WAAYYY too short. Sorry about that! I'll be sure to post Chapter 9 soon :)**


	9. The second nightmare

**A/N: Hello, dear reader! :) I wouldn't be surprised if you're all wondering about all that stuff I mentioned in Chapter 1: Enter Rachel Crawford that I haven't covered yet. I promise you, all of that is gonna come back in later chapters, starting with this one.**

(Rachel's POV)

I made sure to step out of sight once I was inside. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear them, so I just watched them talk.

(Randy's POV)

"Cunningham, we need to talk."

"Uhh ooohhh kaaaayyy. What's… up… Howard…?"

"I know you like Rachel."

"Whaaaaaaattt?! I don't like Rachel- pffffftt, why would you even think that-"

"Don't play dumb with me Cunningham. I've seen the way you look at her. I know your secret, man."

I groaned. "_Howard_…"

"Oh who am I kidding this is Stella all over again!"

"Howard, PLEASE don't talk about Stella, I thought we agreed-"

"EXACTLY! She broke you so bad you can't even THINK about the damn girl without falling apart! And you know what?! This is exactly the same! You're falling head over heels for a pretty girl your first year at a new type of school! And the second you confess, she's only gonna break. Your. Heart. AGAIN!"

"This is DIFFERENT, Howard. Rachel NEEDS me." I was fuming. How dare he? He was supposed to be my best friend!

"Yeah, needs you like chickens need salmonella."

"Don't you drag chickens into this! You know how I feel about them!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

"Well then WHAT. IS?!"

"That Rachel's stolen your heart!"

"Yeah, well, tell me something I don't know. You know, you should be GLAD that I'm finally over Stella. Remember how I acted in the second semester of 7th grade?"

"Well, that was pretty creepy."

"Exactly. Do you really want me to be THAT guy again?"

"That's what I'm trying to STOP! She's only going to hurt you, Cunningham." He was serious. I could see it written on his face.

"Howard, she's not going to." Admittedly, I sounded more confident than I was.

"YES SHE WILL!"

I sighed. "Howard…"

"What, Cunningham?"

"Just… just don't, ok? I don't need you meddling in my love life again."

"Well fine. If you don't need me, then I should just go."

I groaned. "Howard…"

"Don't you start Cunningham! And don't come crying to me when Rachel breaks your heart like the robo-ape broke your rib."

"The robo-ape did not BREAK MY RIB. It only cut me, though it was pretty deep. But you know that."

"That's. Not. THE POINT!"

"Again I ask: What. The juice. IS?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" He paused. "The point is, if you continue doing what you're doing, you're going. To get. Hurt!"

"You're forgetting one thing: I ALREADY HAVE. And, besides, it's not like I can help it! I don't control whether Rachel and Stella made me feel this way. They just do, and in Stella's case, did."

Howard opened his mouth to argue another point, but then seemed to think better of it and closed it. He turned his head away from me, clearly shunning me.

"The silent treatment? Really Howard?" He grunted in response. "Look, I _would_ apologize, but I don't even know what the juice I did wrong! _You're_ the reason we're fighting in the first place! It's all your fault, Howard!" I stomped away, only I went towards the school to get Rachel, since she probably had no clue that Howard's textbook wasn't _really_ missing.

(Rachel's POV)

I could see Randy talking. I couldn't see when Howard was, since his back was to me, but I could infer when he was by seeing when Randy talked and when he wasn't.

I knew I wasn't getting over him like I should've been. Instead, I was just thinking about him all. The. Freaking. Time. And that was _before_ the kiss. Now, it was completely intensified in every way.

At first, Randy merely looked annoyed, but he gradually got madder and madder at his best friend. What on earth could they possibly be talking about? Eventually he walked away, clearly even angrier than before, only he came my way.

He opened the doors. "Oh, good, you're here. Howard's textbook was never missing. He just told you that so he could get me alone. But now we're leaving."

"Yeah, I already knew there wasn't one. Howard doesn't seem like the kinda guy who would care if his textbook was missing," I replied as we left the school and began the journey back to Randy's house.

"You're _right_! Howard wouldn't give a damn if his _textbook_ was _missing_! Yet, he _does_ care whether my heart gets broken again!"

I stopped, shocked. "You had your heart broken?"

(Randy's POV)

Too late, I realized my mistake. "I… well…" I sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you." I proceeded to tell her the whole story about Stella. I didn't really _want_ to rehash it, but at the same time, I felt like I had to get it out. Like I had to tell someone who wasn't there, who might actually understand.

Someone like Rachel.

She didn't interrupt me, not like I did when she told me what happened at the doctor's office, not like I knew Howard would have if he didn't already know what happened.

When I finished, I just stood there awkwardly, looking at the concrete sidewalk under my feet. "So… yeah… that's my tragic remains of a love life," I joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Randy, I'm so sorry. I didn't know any of that had happened. No wonder you were so disappointed when I said we just had to be friends."

"Yeah, but I was basically surviving off of the fact that you liked me back. Or at least, that you said you did. I don't really know how to trust with these kinds of things anymore, not after the way Stella led me on and then rejected me so hard when I finally made a move."

"Why would I lie to you?"

"You could've just been trying to be nice," I mumbled.

"You're right, I COULD have, but I wasn't. Either time. I really do like you back, Randy. Why is that so hard for you to comprehend?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe I've just lost the ability to believe that good things, rather than bad, can happen to me when it comes to love. I mean, flirting when I don't actually feel anything, sure. But when it gets real? I'm a wreck. Though the only reason I know this is because of you. I didn't actually get over Stella until I got the ninja mask. I guess I kind of realized that I had to stop living in the past."

"I'm the only other girl you've ever loved, aren't I?" I nodded. "Wow… I didn't know."

"Well, I wouldn't say love. More like a strong like," I joked, trying to save face as we began walking to the house again.

"Love is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Well it is when I met you three days ago. And according to Howard, when the girl is out of my league," I said as we stopped again. _Did_ I love Rachel? I wasn't sure it could happen that fast.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It can't exactly happen overnight, ya know?" She tried to hide her disappointment, but I could see it, and she started to walk away.

"Ray-" I started, but she cut me off.

"Randy, its _fine_," she insisted. "We're just friends anyway."

"Ray, I don't think we ever _were_ just friends," I said, getting right in front of her. For a moment we just stood there, looking into each other's eyes. Then we put our arms around each other as we both leaned closer and-

Rachel pulled away. "We should just… go."

I pulled back too, releasing my hold on her and feeling disappointed. "Yeah." I should've known better anyway. I mean, did I really expect her to kiss me right after I basically told her I didn't love her?

(Rachel's POV)

I lay awake in bed that night for a while. Maybe he hadn't outright said it, but I knew what he meant. Randy didn't love me. Not really. Sure, he had _feelings_ for me, but we both knew it wasn't the same. Nope, he was still in love with Stella, even though he denied it. She had broken his heart three years ago. I, on the other hand, was actually giving him a chance, but he wouldn't take it. I turned around in the bed, my face on the pillow. _Stupid Stella,_ I muttered into it. I repeated it like a mantra. Stupid Stella. Stupid Stella.

All of a sudden, I felt something inside of me click. Stupid… Samantha. Wait, who the heck was _Samantha_?

That was the last thing I thought before I drifted off into sleep.

I sat there, motionless. Even though I knew it wasn't real, since I knew the truth about the real one's whereabouts (well, sort of), my world still felt like it was falling apart. Even though it had been almost a month since I saw it the first time, I still constantly felt like I was being ripped apart. She was taking what I needed, even though I never exactly _had_ him in the first place.

I was seeing more evidence that it was, and at the same time, wasn't, real. I had tried so hard, so freaking hard, to forget. All of it. I wanted to go back to July, when I didn't know about this. Ignorance really was bliss.

It occurred to me that if I didn't know about his enemy, his _real_ enemy, I would've been able to convince myself that there was no possible way any of it could be real. But, since I knew the truth, I also knew there was a small chance that _that_, the thing that dragged me out of ignorance, was real too.

I woke up, gasping. Another nightmare? What _were_ these things? They felt way too real to simply be dreams. But they couldn't be real. They couldn't be. There was no way, just no freaking way, that _that_ was my life.

**This is starting to get interesting! Do you think the nightmares are some of Rachel's erased memories? Don't worry, I know where I'm going with this… I think…**


	10. Fore-and-past-telling

**A/N: There is a song in this chapter: Demons by Imagine Dragons. I recommend listening to the song while you read that part of the story. Enjoy! :)**

**Warning: MAJOR foreshadowing in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Randy Cunningham or Demons. Nothing is mine (except for Rachel and the story itself)**

* * *

(Rachel's POV)

I sighed. Why did this have to be my life? Oh, right, because I had been stupid enough to make an enemy of some large, powerful organization who could GIVE ME A FREAKING MIND WIPE. I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand next to the bed. 5:22, it read. Oh, crap. _This is going to be a_ _long day,_ I thought, slamming the pillow over my head.

(Randy's POV)

For once, I actually woke up early. On a school day.

The sun hadn't even risen yet. _What time is it?_ I thought, looking at the clock. Damn. It was 5:26. _Well, I might as well get something out of this extra time._ I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, considering I zonked out at 9 pm, exhausted by my injuries. Even though I no longer felt the pain, it was still taking it's toll on my body. Usually I stayed up until at least 11. I got dressed quickly, slipping on my black McSkinnies with ease. I glanced down, noticing that they were baggy, especially around my ankles. You'd think that being the ninja would give me some muscles, but no, I looked pretty much exactly the same as I had starting the school year. Then again, I was a freshman. It wasn't like I would be like this forever, right? I finished getting ready in record time, hoping to have some left over. Once I was done, I got a glimpse of the clock, which read 5:32. Yes! I had over an hour. I picked up my keytar and put the strap over my shoulder. Who knew, maybe I might even write a new song for 30 seconds to math. But for now, I was just going to play a song I already knew, thinking of Rachel while I sang the lyrics.

(Rachel's POV)

I had just been laying there awake for at least 7 minutes when I realized I should probably just suck it up and get ready for school, even though I wouldn't have to leave for a while. I was finishing up when I heard music drifting in from the outside of my room.

_Demons: by Imagine Dragons_

_When the days are cold_

_And the cards all fold_

_And the saints we see are all made of gold_

Intrigued, I quickly ran a brush through my hair and exited my room, following the music.

_When your dreams all fail_

_And the ones we hail_

_Are the worst of all_

_And the blood's run stale_

It seemed to be leading me in the direction of Randy's room.

_I wanna hide the truth_

_I wanna shelter you_

_But with the beast inside_

_There's nowhere we can hide_

I was right. I stood at the door of Randy's room. His door was left a crack open, allowing me to watch him play the keytar and sing. I didn't know he played any instruments. He was good, too.

_No matter what we breed_

_We still are made of greed_

_This is my kingdom come_

_This is my kingdom come_

_When you feel my heat_

_Look into my eyes_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close_

_It's dark inside_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

_(When the) curtains call_

_Is the last of all_

_When the lights fade out_

_All the sinners crawl_

_So they dug your grave_

_And the masquerade_

_Will come calling out_

_At the mess you've made_

_Don't wanna let you down_

_But I am, hellbound_

_Though this is all for you_

_Don't wanna hide the truth_

_No matter what we breed_

_We still are made of greed_

_This is my kingdom come_

_This is my kingdom come_

_When you feel my heat_

_Look into my eyes_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close_

_It's dark inside_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

_They say it's what you make_

_I say it's up to fate_

_It's woven in my soul_

_I need to let you go_

_Your eyes they shine so bright_

_I wanna save that light_

_I can't escape this now_

_Unless you show me how_

_When you feel my heat_

_Look into my eyes_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close_

_It's dark inside_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

I was awestruck. "Wow, you're amazing," I said as I entered the room.

(Randy's POV)

I was shocked, and a little embarrassed that she had heard me. "Oh, you heard me?"

"Yeah." She grinned. "You're amazing! I didn't know you played the keytar! What song was that?"

"Thanks. Howard and I have a band. It's called 30 seconds to math. That was Demons, by the Imagine Dragons. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already up." She sat down on the couch, and I set my keytar down. It was now leaning against my ladder, and I sat next to her.

"Oh, really? What happened?"

She sighed, looking at the ground. "Another nightmare."

"Oh... I'm sorry. Do you... want to talk about it?"

"It was like the one from the first night."

"Do you think they're connected?"

"They seem to be. The second one was pretty similar to the first one, only it didn't seem to be about whoever erased my memory. It seemed more like something I'd want erased. And if they really are... my memories, there must've been some kind of time skip in the first one."

(Rachel's POV)

While I said that, I remembered something else about it. Right before I fell asleep, I had remembered something. From before. A girl. Samantha. And for some reason, I didn't like her. I think she was connected to the dream.

I couldn't help a smile. I was finally remembering. Yes!

But that didn't make any sense. My memories had been erased. As in deleted. Gone. Zero.

Unless... unless they _couldn't_ be destroyed. Unless they were merely locked away, deep in my brain where I couldn't reach them...

For now.

That's when it hit me. The doctor said my enemy wouldn't hurt me anymore, as long as I didn't remember anything. But now... now I was starting to. And they might come for me again. I felt my eyes widen, finding it hard to breathe.

"What? What's wrong, Ray?" Randy asked, seeing the look on my face.

"Oh... nothing." I decided not to tell him yet. Fortunately, he didn't press for answers.

"I know it's hard, Ray. Not being able to remember anything about your past, or even who you are? It sounds rough, and if there's ever anything I can do, or if you just need someone to talk to, I'm here. I'll always be here for you, Rachel." He slipped his hand into mine. "It'll get better eventually. You'll remember."

"That's what I'm afraid of."


	11. Stay in oblivion

**A/N: Sorry to keep you guys waiting! I wasn't quite sure what to do for a while, and I recently started my other RC9GN fanfic, so I'll be working on that too. Check it out when you get the chance!**

**Also I'm looking for a beta reader for this and/or my other RC9GN fanfic, "The Elemental Ninjas". If you're interested you can PM me :)**

**I know Randy's a little OOC in this… yeah sorry…**

**Thank you to RCIB and ViVi89 for reviewing my last chapter.**

**Enjoy! :)**

(Rachel's POV)

That day was pretty uneventful. Well, in the monster/robot department at least. McFist must've taken the day off. Yup, Randy told me everything. About McFist, about the sorcerer, and about how the robo-apes are normally complete and utter shoobs. Now I understood why he had been so freaked out yesterday.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean nothing happened.

Before that, it seemed like an ordinary day. Other than the fact that Howard wouldn't talk to Randy anymore. Whatever they fought about must've been pretty bad. Randy and I sat alone together at Shangri-lunch while Howard sat with Der Monster Klub, as I have been informed that they're called.

"So…" Randy began. I looked up at him expectantly. "Do you want to talk about the nightmare? I remember how the last one affected you, and if you want to talk about this one, I mean, you can go ahead… I mean, it's not like you have to, I just thought it might help…"

"It won't bother you, will it?"

"Why would it?"

"Do you remember yesterday morning? When you asked me if I had a boyfriend?" His eyes went wide with shock.

(Randy's POV)

Oh crap. I knew what she was going to say. "You do… don't you?"

"Well-"

"I know, I know. You're choosing him now. You don't even have to say it." I could hear the emotion in my voice. It felt like my whole world was crashing down. I got up, knowing I wouldn't last much longer.

"RANDY! I don't have a boyfriend." I breathed a sigh of relief, sitting back down. At the same time, I felt embarrassed that I had jumped to conclusions so quickly. "Well, apparently I liked someone… who was taken. But don't worry about him, I like you now. The thing was, I wasn't sure if they were actually dating or not."

"How could you not be sure of something like that?" I interrupted.

"Well look at us," she said grinning.

I smiled back. "I stand corrected."

"That was different, though. It was as if I didn't know him in real life…"

"Oh, great. You were one of those girls, weren't you? The kind who crushes on celebrities they don't even know, are too old for them, and have girlfriends anyway, weren't you?" How the juice was I supposed to compete with that? She said I was the only one now, but if she remembered…

"No, I don't think I was. And I can't believe they do that! I mean, they have to know on some level that it's never going to work, right?"

"Ugh, I know right? But if that wasn't it, then what is?"

"I… don't know. But I remember a girl named Samantha, and I didn't like her because she might've been dating the guy I liked… but there's a possibility that she wasn't even a real person."

(Rachel's POV)

All of a sudden, I got an image. Of… glowing yellow eyes.

But was that even possible? To be honest I wasn't sure what was anymore.

I heard a faint humming, and I heard a noise. I felt like I was being transported to another dimension, and it was dark, and I couldn't see anything. "Sssstttaaaayyyyy… iiiinnnnnn… obbbliiivvvvvviiooonnnn…" I heard a hissing voice say. "Thhheeerrrrrre… is a prrrriiiccccce… for being… rrreesssttleesssssssss… for deefffyyyyyiiinnnggggg… mmeeeee… Just keep your reeewwwwwaaaaarrrrd… and nooottthhhhiiinnngg eeelllllllssssse…"

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?"

I heard a low chuckle. "I would tell you… but that would cause the destruction of all the work I've done for the past two years. We were slowly tearing the old you down… but if you want to live to see the summer, you will stay in oblivion. Ignorance… is… BLISS…" I felt myself being released. I was shocked, not to mention scared as heck.

"Rachel?" I heard Randy ask in the background. "A-are you ok?"

"Yeah… sort of… not really… why?" He held out a hand to help me up- wait, why did I need to be helped up? What the juice was going on?

"Well- how should I put this- you got this weird look on your face, and then you fell out of your seat. Your mouth was wide open and you looked scared as heck. Rachel… who are you?"

"That's the one thing I should never know if I want to live."

-LINE BREAK-

(Randy's POV)

Rachel and I had walked home alone together, as in without Howard. He was still mad, but who knew why, I mean, what the juice did I do?

"I still don't get why he's mad," I vented to Rachel in my room, sitting on the couch while she sat on the beanbag. "I mean, I didn't even do anything! Why does he even care? He didn't give a damn last time, in fact he even told our 'friends'. I guess they weren't really my friends since they told her."

"Maybe he doesn't want to see your heart break again. Not that I would ever hurt you, but he doesn't know that," Rachel tried to reason some logic into my head.

"Yeah that's what he said, but I should be the one who's afraid to fall, but…"

"But what?" Rachel said softly, coming over to the couch and sitting next to me.

She looked right at me, and I looked back. I opened my mouth, wanting to finish but I just couldn't. I always felt so insecure around her, and we had said we were just going to be friends anyway and it probably wasn't a good idea to keep mentioning it if we were going to stay that way.

It never really occurred to me to wonder why it had to be this way until that moment.

"…Nothing," I finally responded, turning forwards and looking down at my feet. Later that night I imagined how it would've gone had I not been afraid to say what was really on my mind.

"Honestly, I'm not," I imagined myself saying. "I know it's only been a few days… but I think I'm in love with you, Ray."

"Me too," she said in my fantasy, and then we kissed, and it was even better than the first time.

But that, alas, was only a daydream. Was I in love with Rachel? I couldn't be, it had only been four days, but at the same time that was hard to believe. It felt like it had been much longer.

Rachel and I stayed like that, consumed by the awkward silence until my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Cunningham. Listen, we need to talk," I heard Howard's voice on the other line. "Meet me at my house, and don't bring Rachel. This needs to be a 'bro talk', if you know what I mean."

"Ok, buddy. See ya there," I said hanging up. "Ray, I gotta go talk to Howard. Will you be ok by yourself?" Rachel nodded. "Ok, I'll be back before too long." I left my room and headed over to Howard's house.

I knocked on the door, and Heidi answered again.

"Oh, hey Sandy. Howard's in his room."

I rolled my eyes. "Heidi its Randy," I said making my way to Howard's room. I opened the door to find Howard playing one of the Grave Puncher games. "Hey Howard, what's up?"

He shut off the game. "Hey Cunningham."

I was confused. "Why'd you turn off the game?"

"We need to TALK, Cunningham. As in NOT play Grave Puncher."

"Wow this must be serious Howard. What's going on?"

"Look dude I'm sorry. I was being a shoob. I should've let you make your own decisions. I guess I still feel guilty for what I did in 6th grade. I never should've told…"

"It's not your fault. Stella would've never loved me the way I did. It didn't really make a difference that you told the guys."

"No, Cunningham… I didn't just tell them."

I felt a chill go over my body. "Howard… what are you talking about?"

"Oh you dragged it out of me! Fine. I admit it. I told Stella."


	12. Nachos and cheese

**A somewhat lengthy A/N: Thank you to ViVi89, RCIB and SariSpy56 for reviewing. :) You guys really have no idea how much it means to me when you review my stories. I've gotten excited when I see just two reviews; I really love knowing what you all think of my stories :)**

**Also, I need to ask you guys something. Do you want this to be longer or shorter? I kinda wanna make it longer so it doesn't seem like everything happens too fast, but I would need a bunch of fillers in between. I also have a lot of awesome ideas for the sequel (yes, this is going to be a series. I was planning on it since I started the fanfic, but now it's official! :D). Not going to give away any spoilers for it though! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own RC9GN.**

**Enjoy! :)**

"You did WHAT?!" I practically yelled. "Howard, how could you do that? And you didn't even have the decency to tell me?! I can't believe you! Why would you do that?"

"Hey, look on the bright side. I'm telling you now."

I tried to keep calm. "So, what did she say when you did?"

Howard raised an eyebrow. "Do you really wanna know?"

My patience was wearing thin. "Yes, Howard," I said through clenched teeth. "I really wanna know."

"Well alright Cunningham." Once Howard told me what she said, I had to literally bite my tongue to stop myself from shouting every swear word I had ever heard.

"Howard…" I clenched my fists, trying to keep my cool, but Howard could be so damn exasperating sometimes. Often infuriatingly so.

"Cunningham?"

"What?"

"You're not gonna kill me, are you?"

"No, Howard. I'm not going to kill you." Though to be completely honest I kind of wanted to. "I'll see you later, Howard," I said coldly as I left his room.

"Hi, Randy," Hannah, who was sitting at the counter, chirped on my way out. I ignored her and left the house. Heidi was outside, probably supposed to be mowing the lawn, since there was a weed whacker by the garage but instead she was texting.

"Bye, Sandy," I heard her mutter as I made my way to my bike. That did it.

I whirled on her. "Damn it Heidi! Would it kill you to remember my name once? JUST ONCE?!"

Heidi was stunned. "You mean your name isn't Candy?" she asked in genuine shock. I made an angry noise **Remember in Ninja Camp when Howard said, "Smoke bomb, Cunningham. Smoke bomb" and Randy made that mad noise? Yeah, that's the one** and walked to my bike, hopping on and pedaling at the same speed as the first day of school, when I needed the Nomicon and had to get home and back before I was gone so long that it would look suspicious. Right now, I just needed to go home. I wanted to be anywhere but where my best friend, oops, I mean TRAITOR was.

I felt the wind across my face. It was really windy, and I was going really fast, so it was kinda starting to hurt. It felt as if the wind was slapping me in the face, but I didn't care. A week ago I would've slowed down, but not today.

When I arrived at my house, I put my bike in the garage and went straight to my room. I opened the door, slamming it behind me. "Stupid Howard…" I muttered.

"I'm guessing it didn't go well?" I turned to see Rachel sitting on the couch. Man, I completely forgot about her!

"Oh, hey Ray. No, it didn't." I sat down next to her. "Not at all. I mean, I just can't believe he did that! Telling the one person he shouldn't have…"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what? Forget I said anything."

"Randy-"

"Just do it, ok?" I said hotly, not wanting to talk about it. "I met you four honkin days ago! I've already told you enough!"

(Rachel's POV)

I was stunned. I mean, I try to comfort him and he pushes me away? What gives?

(Randy's POV)

I knew I had upset her. She was completely silent. I sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that- actually I didn't mean it at all. I'm just upset."

"It's fine."

(Rachel's POV)

It actually wasn't fine. I was still kind of shocked, but I guess that's what I get for prying into his personal life.

All of a sudden, Randy grinned as if he got an idea. "I know how I can forget about it, though."

-LINEBREAK-

Randy opened the door. It was kind of dark inside, and it was somewhat busy. There were some teenagers, mostly boys, playing arcade games. "What is this place?"

"Greg's Game Hole. It's an arcade-slash-game store-slash-food hole."

"Food hole?"

"Over there." Randy pointed to a spot marked, ironically, 'Greg's Food Hole'.

"I see. Do you hang out here often?"

"Yeah, usually with Howard…" I saw the sadness return to his eyes for a second, but then he shook it off. "But let's forget about that. I want to show you something," he said excitedly, tugging me along in the direction of the games. "Look up there," he said, pointing to the posters above the games. I noticed that he was first place… for every single one of them.

"Wow. You're awesome!"

He smirked. "I know."

I rolled my eyes and playfully punched him in the arm, grinning.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Really? Are you ok?"

He grinned. "Gotcha."

"What? You trickster! I'll get you for that," I said, feigning anger.

His smile faded. "Really?"

It was my turn to smirk. "I just did." We held each other's stare for about half a second before bursting out in laughter.

"You wanna play one? I mean, you'll never beat me, but-"

"Oh you're on! Which game?"

Randy shrugged. "Since it's your first time, I'll let you pick."

"Alright, how about that one?" I pointed to one in the corner marked 'Future Time Radioactive Zombie PUNCH!'

As we made our way over to it, Randy smirked. "That's my best one."

My eyes widened. "Well, then maybe we should-"

"Too late, you chose it. Come on, I'll go easy on ya."

"Really?"

"Nope." My expression deflated. "Just do your best, I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, you did hold your own in Grave Puncher." Encouraged, I nodded and Randy inserted coins into the machine and the screen lit up, signaling that it was time for us to begin the game.

(Randy's POV)

Rachel was pretty good and so far she was holding her own. It was likely she used to be a gamer, though with her looks she could be popular. But she didn't really seem like the type to care about status, or appearances for that matter.

We were about halfway through when Rachel started to have trouble. I mean, she had already lost a couple of lives here and there but this was different.

(Rachel's POV)

It wasn't exactly an easy level. _Focus, Rachel,_ I thought to myself. I glanced over at Randy. I couldn't believe Stella had rejected him all those years ago. I mean, why would she? Randy's cute and funny, not to mention he has a killer smile that makes my heart melt when it's directed at me…

My thoughts were interrupted by a noise in the game. My jaw dropped when I looked at the screen. GAME OVER, it read, and my player had been zombified.

"NOOO!" I shouted. "Sorry, that was loud." I grinned sheepishly. "I know, I'm not exactly the best."

"Maybe not, but that was pretty good for your first try. Did you know what Howard got on his first try?" I shook my head. "1057 points."

"Are you kidding? That's a terrible score! Well at least for this game."

"Nope, not kidding. You'll get better, and that was good for a first try, don't be so hard on yourself."

"Yeah, I see that now," I responded.

"You wanna go get something from the Food Hole?" Randy asked.

"Sure." We strolled over to Greg's Food Hole, and on the way I saw a game that looked broken. It was titled Jack Hammer. I looked at the high score poster above it, and to my complete and utter shock, Randy wasn't first place, Howard was (though Randy was second).

I nudged him. "What's that about?" I asked, pointing to Jack Hammer.

"Oh… it's a long story that I'd rather not discuss here."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Too embarrassing to tell the story of how Howard totally p'wned you?" I teased.

"No, it's something… else."

I rolled my eyes, smirking. "I'm sure it is, Randy."

"Being serious, Rachel." At that moment I knew he was, since he only called me Rachel when he was serious.

"So what should we get? They have French fries, cheeseburgers, soft pretzels-"

"Get the nachos. They're the cheese."

"Ha, funny."

"Oh, ha ha. I didn't even realize I did that." **Get it? Nachos, cheese… ok I'll stop now. XD** "Two orders of nachos, please."

The cashier nodded and got two out of the glass case and handed them to us. "$4.88 please." Randy stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a 5-dollar bill, handing it to her and taking the nachos, passing one of the plates to me. We sat down at a table and began eating.

"Wow, these are good."

"Told you. So what do you think?"

"Of what?" I asked, confused.

He shrugged. "Everything. School, Greg's Game Hole, the house, Howard…" Randy paused. "Me…" he murmured, obviously not meaning for me to hear that, then picking up another nacho and popping it.

"It's great. All of it. Especially the nachos." I smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny," he replied jokingly.

"I'm serious," I said with mock seriousness. "These nachos are absolutely the best thing that's happened to me since I came to Norrisville."

Randy laughed. We continued our banter as we ate our nachos, and then we went back to Randy's house, where we found his mom on the couch watching the weather.

She turned around when the door slammed shut. "Hi sweetie! Hi Rachel. How was school?" she asked, getting up.

"Good," Randy replied. "You know, for school."

"Yep," I agreed.

"Well that's good. So what do you want for dinner? We're not having it until at least 6:30, but I want to know in advance."

Randy and I exchanged looks and shrugged in unison. "Not a clue. If you need us we'll be upstairs," Randy responded as we went up the stairs and in the direction of his room.

**This was somewhat of a filler. So what do you think of the story so far? Questions, comments, compliments and constructive criticism are all accepted :)**


	13. Sight reveals all

**A/N: Thank you to Intangible Kittens, SariSpy56, Ruby 1334, Guest, and ViVi89 for reviewing :) Some new concepts get introduced in this chapter, and this is when the real danger begins to show itself. It gets more intense as the story progresses (there's a reason Drama is the second genre, you know). Also, I edited Chapter 11: "Stay in oblivion" because I changed a few major things in the plotline (nothing that's already been revealed, of course).**

**Also, my updates are not going to be as quick as they used to be. I've felt as if when I update fast like that, the quality of my work suffers, and that's the last thing I want. So, I'm sorry if the slowness bothers you.**

**I have NOT dropped _The Elemental Ninjas_! I'm just having some writer's block. I know what needs to happen, but it feels rushed (the part that hasn't been posted yet... well maybe the rest of it too).**

**And, in case you haven't already caught on to this, this will most likely end up being a long fic. Maybe not super long, but it will be AT LEAST 20 chapters long.**

**Warning: MAJOR foreshadowing ahead.**

(3rd person, a mysterious, hidden place)

A teenage girl with long brown hair streaked with pink stares into a glass viewing screen. Another girl, who looks very similar to her in looks and age, enough to be identical twins, except for the fact her hair has no pink, enters the room and leans against an old shelf, watching her. "What are we even doing?" she asks the first girl. "Just sitting around while our doom approaches?"

"Patience, sister. I let the ginger girl know of the incident, and of course she'll confront them, and they will wonder how she found out and take it as a warning."

"Ugh! You're an idiot, you know that?" the second girl admonished, approaching her sister. "One of them will ask, and Blondie will remember more. She's already re-realized too much as it is. Are you aware of what happened earlier today?"

"Oh, I assure you sister, I am no fool. I know exactly. What. I'm doing. Every… single… bit." She grinned evilly. "And we won't be sitting around for much longer. Go do… the deed."

"But I don't like blood," the second girl whined.

The first girl rolled her eyes. "I swear to god, you are such a wimp sometimes. _I'll_ do it, like I do everything else." She walked over to an old, dusty drawer and pulled out a knife coated with stale blood, a wicked grin on her face.

"Eww…"

The first girl rolled her eyes again and turns around with her arms crossed, still holding the knife. "Oh, grow up, would you?"

"Hey, I can't help that I don't like blood. And I _do_ do things. I took that long-term mission a few years earlier."

"Words cannot describe how badly you failed. You abandoned the task halfway through; you were exposed, not to mention you rejected the perfect opportunity to get close to the target!"

"I don't know what came over me!"

"Yes, you do. They're called hormones."

"I was never good at biography."

The pink-streaked girl smirked. "At least you've been paying attention. I hope you can keep it up, because here's how it's going down: I'm going to go do what needs to be done. Then when I'm back in several days, we leave for you-know-where on orders."

"Who's orders?"

"The boss. The _real_ boss."

(Randy's POV)

I opened the door, expecting almost anything other than what awaited us on the other side.

"I want my stuff back, Mandy." An angry Heidi stood in my room with her arms crossed.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused since so much had happened since Saturday.

"Oh, you know what I mean! See, she's wearing my green top!" I looked at Rachel, who was, indeed, wearing the green shirt we had swiped that day at Howard's.

"Oh, that day…" I trailed off.

"I'll… just go get the other stuff too," Rachel murmured awkwardly, dashing out of the room. She obviously didn't like the attention. Heidi and I just stood in silence for the first few moments.

"So… nice girlfriend you got there, Andy."

"For the three-thousandth time my name is Randy, and we're NOT dating. Very funny, by the way. I know you're being sarcastic."

"Wow, really? I hadn't noticed," Heidi shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Quit it, Heidi."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't like her."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't care. Just be glad she's actually giving you your stuff back. You shouldn't be judging when you don't know someone, 'cause you don't know her."

Heidi grinned. "You so obviously like her."

"What?! I do not! Why would you- Why do you even care?"

"I don't. But you're not fooling anyone, you know. I suggest next year, instead of taking something like Home Ec., you sign up for a lying class."

"Really? 'Cause I'd figured someone up on the latest scoop like you would know that there's NO SUCH THING."

She smirked. "It's called sarcasm."

"Really? 'Cause you sounded pretty serious to me." We glared at each other.

"I got the clothes… what did I miss?" Rachel entered the room, wearing a different shirt.

"Nothing," I replied coldly, still holding Heidi's angry stare. "Absolutely. Nothing."

"Ok… anyway, here," Rachel replied, handing the Heidi's missing garments to her. "Just out of curiosity, how did you know we had them?"

"Someone told me. A girl with brown hair streaked with pink."

(Rachel's POV)

At that, I got a vision of a girl with brown eyes, long brown hair streaked with pink, and a wicked grin on her face. She leaned against a tree in a mostly open field, with the exception of some trees and a rather large RV, watching a few people but her eyes rested on one man and one man alone. He reminded me of… no.

Her eyes followed his every move. The scene skipped to nighttime, and the girl approached the RV with a serious look on her face. Her eyes glow yellow for a split-second, and the door swung open.

"Rachel!" Randy's voice awakened me from… whatever the hell _that_ was.

"Shoobs…" Heidi muttered under her breath just loud enough for me to hear. I shot her a glare and she rolled her eyes, shoving past us and leaving the room.

"Rachel, what was that?" Randy asked me softly after closing the door behind Heidi.

"I… I have no idea." It was a lie.

He couldn't know. I knew what was happening, and he couldn't know. He wouldn't be able to take it. I knew, somehow, that it wasn't a memory.

It was something else.

**It's short, I know. It's just that there's somewhat of a time skip in between now and the next chapter. I've never been one to make long chapters anyway. So what did you think? Loved it, hated it, somewhere in between? Please review! :)**


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